Can caffeine increase cholesterol level in the body?
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Loading... - Viransh Chabra
- 10 Feb 2023
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Our body needs cholesterol to make hormones like estrogen and testosterone, vitamin D, and it also helps to digest food, said Dr Rohini Patil, a nutritionist
Our lifestyle, exercise routine, sleep patterns, and diet can lead to so many changes in the body, and affect our overall well-being. As such, it is only natural to have doubts and concerns about the same, including one about the consumption of caffeine, and its impact on health. Caffeine, considered to be a stimulant, is something many of us indulge in — multiple times a day — through beverages like coffee, tea, cocoa, and cola. So, we reached out to experts to understand more about how caffeine reacts in the body, if it actually sticks around for several hours, and whether it also affects cholesterol levels.
But first things first, what is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in all the cells in our body. Our body needs cholesterol to make hormones like estrogen and testosterone, vitamin D, and it also helps to digest food. Foods that come from animal sources such as egg yolks, meat, and cheese have cholesterol in them, said Dr Rohini Patil, nutritionist, CEO, Nutracy Lifestyle.
So, cholesterol is not actually bad for us. “But if we consume too much fat, mostly bad such as trans fats, then blood parameters like LDL (low-density lipo protein) can increase, and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) can decrease — which is not a good sign, explained Sohini Banerjee, consultant dietician, Fortis Hospital and Kidney Institute, Kolkata.
So, does caffeine affect cholesterol?
While caffeine does not directly increase cholesterol levels in the body, it can cause indirect effects that may contribute to an increase in cholesterol, said Dr Patil.
How?
For example, caffeine can cause stress, which can lead to increased cortisol levels and elevated cholesterol levels. Additionally, caffeine may also cause an increase in insulin levels, which can contribute to higher levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Read More…
