Effect of coffee oil and its unsaponifiable fraction on plasma cholesterol level in female rats

Abstract

The present study was conducted to identify the cholesterol-raising factor in coffee oil besides the other two well-known diterpenes, cafestol and kahweol. Female rats fed coffee oil for 4 weeks showed significantly higher level of plasma cholesterol (P < 0.01) and triacylglycerols (P < 0.01). Feeding unsaponifiable lipids of coffee oil caused significant decrease in plasma cholesterol; however, increase in triacylglycerol was observed. Rats given beta-sitosterol showed increase in plasma triacylglecerol and decrease in cholesterol levels, an effect similar to that observed with unsaponifiable lipids. beta-sitosterol is the major constituent of unsaponifiable lipids of the coffee oil. These results show that cafestol and kahweol diterpene alcohols are not the only cholesterol-raising factors in coffee oil.

Moderate coffee consumption increases plasma glutathione but not homocysteine in healthy subjects

“…Little is known with certainty about the physiological effects of coffee, but a bewildering array of health and mood effects are attributed to it. In addition to the action of caffeine, it has been demonstrated that the lipid fraction of coffee, which includes two bioactive diterpenes, kafestol and kahweol, is able to increase low‐density lipoprotein and total serum cholesterol 2 . The presence of these substances depends on both the variety of coffee and the extraction procedure used for preparation.…”