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Researchers measured the level of caffeine in the blood of the participants, as well as levels of the key heart-health indicators before and after the three-month study. They sought to clearly demonstrate the effects of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee
consumption on key indicators of the metabolic syndrome, which is the umbrella term for a cluster of several harmful heart disease risk factors. Researchers looked at blood pressure, heart rate, BMI, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL (good cholesterol) levels of insulin, glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA -- fat in the blood), apolipoprotein B (ApoB -- a protein associated with LDL or "bad" cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein 2 (HDL2 -- a type of "really good" cholesterol). Researchers found no significant changes among the three groups' levels of blood insulin and glucose, or other major risk factors. But they reported for the first time that, after three months of coffee drinking, the decaffeinated group experienced a rise in fatty acids, which is the fuel in the blood that can drive the production of low-density lipoprotein LDL. ApoB went up 8 percent in the decaffeinated group but did not significantly change in the other two groups.
ApoB is the only protein attached to LDL, and studies show that ApoB might be a better predictor of cardiovascular disease risk than one's LDL level. NEFA rose an average 18 percent in the decaffeinated group, while it did not change in the other two groups. "NEFA is the fuel that can drive the increase in ApoB and LDL," Superko said. "These results are very surprising and have never been reported before for coffee consumption. This is the first non-industry-sponsored study of its kind.
Until now, researchers had not reported on a randomized prospective study looking at the mechanism of how a particular kind of coffee consumption increases ApoB and LDL-cholesterol. "There is a real difference between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee and, contrary
to what people have thought for many years, I believe it's not caffeinated but decaffeinated coffee that might promote heart disease risk factors that are associated with the metabolic syndrome, an expanding heart-health hazard in the United States." In measuring HDL cholesterol, researchers looked specifically at HDL2, a type of HDL
in which high levels are particularly associated with lower risk of heart disease. They found that HDL2 didn't change significantly overall among the three groups in the study. But in the decaffeinated group, it changed significantly according to participants' body fat.

For those who had body mass indexes (BMIs) of more than 25 (considered overweight),drinking decaffeinated coffee increased HDL2 by about 50 percent. But those in the decaffeinated group, who were not considered overweight according to BMI, saw their HDL2 drop by about 30 percent. "This illustrates to the public that this is not a simple story of one coffee is good, one coffee is bad," he added. "It illustrates a concept that is becoming very important in medicine, which is the individualization of treatment. We have to individualize therapy based on the patient's characteristics. It is important for the public to
appreciate that one diet or one drug is not the optimal treatment for every patient." Coffee drinkers in the United States consume an average of 3.1 cups each day. However, "if you only drink one cup each day, the results of our study probably have little relevance because at that level your daily coffee dose is relatively low," Superko said.
Superko said people concerned about increasing fatty acids and LDL cholesterol should think twice about drinking a lot of decaffeinated coffee. "But those who are overweight and have low levels of HDL2 but normal levels of ApoB, might consider the potential benefit of drinking decaffeinated over caffeinated coffee," he said. According to the American Heart Association, whether high caffeine intake increases
the risk of coronary heart disease is still under study, however moderate coffee drinking - 1-2 cups per day - doesn't seem to be harmful. Co-author is Peter D. Wood, Ph.D.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded the study.

Interesting reading

This study was done with "a nationally popular home brewed caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee brand" OK, so are we talking about Maxwell House. Come on, people. This stuff is garbage. Most over-the-counter coffees sold in supermarkets are low grade, bottom of the barrel coffees. The good stuff is sold to the coffee roasting companies. As well, decaffeinated coffee from most commercial coffee sellers is made by a chemical process. Hence, the bad cholesteral findings. If you're gonna drink coffee, buy local from local roasters who use only organic fair trade coffee and if you drink decaf, drink only swiss water processed decaf. This is not made with chemicals. Don't listen to these studies. They are all manipulated to benefit the people doing the studies, usually pharmaceuticals or food companies.