Spokane7
50°
June 21, 2011 in Features
Few cups of instant coffee won’t threaten cholesterol
Q. I’ve read that something in coffee raises cholesterol. I also read that using a filter to prepare the coffee blocks this compound. I guess if I drink instant coffee, I’m raising my LDL cholesterol. Is that true?
A. It depends somewhat on how much you drink. The cholesterol-raising compounds in coffee, cafestol and kahweol, are found in very low levels in instant coffee and in filtered coffee (Food and Chemical Toxicology, June 1997).
Most of the early research connecting coffee consumption and elevated cholesterol found that traditional “boiled” coffee made in the Scandinavian or Turkish styles could raise serum cholesterol significantly (New England Journal of Medicine, June 16, 1983).
Twenty years later, however, researchers in Sweden found that filtered coffee could raise serum cholesterol more than previously appreciated (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 2003). Other researchers found that five cups of instant coffee daily could result in a small but significant increase in cholesterol (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 1995). Drinking a few cups of instant coffee is not likely to change your cholesterol dramatically.
Q. Do you have a diet for helping me survive omeprazole detox? Your book “Best Choices” alerted me to the dangers of the drug, and I want to end my addiction.
When I forgot to take the drug two days in a row, I experienced heartburn hell. Earlier, I tried to take myself off the drug, but I could only stand it for a week. Now I can’t skip one day without wanting to die.
A. Stopping powerful acid-suppressing drugs like omeprazole (Prilosec), esomeprazole (Nexium) and lansoprazole (Prevacid) can be tough. In one study, even people who never had heartburn before developed it upon stopping this type of medication (Gastroenterology, July 2009).
A low-carb diet can be helpful. So can remedies like almonds, broccoli, “Digestive Tea,” “Ginger Pickle” and “Persimmon Punch.” We are sending you our new book, “The People’s Pharmacy Quick and Handy Home Remedies,” for details on all of these. Others may send $16.95 (plus $4 S&H) to: Graedons (Dept QHHR), P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
Q. I’ve been on simvastatin (80 mg) for several years. I’ve had serious problems with leg cramps, and now my tendons are affected from my toes to my knees. Could the medication be responsible?
A. The Food and Drug Administration has just issued a warning about simvastatin (Zocor). The agency is concerned about muscle damage linked to high doses (80 mg) of this cholesterol-lowering medicine. Doctors are not supposed to prescribe this dose to new patients. Only people who have not experienced muscle problems after taking it for a year should continue on the 80 mg dose.
Even lower doses of simvastatin may cause side effects. One reader shared his story: “I was started on simvastatin 20 mg, and by the third week I was in a lot of pain. My triceps and biceps hurt the worst, as though someone was ripping the muscles apart. I also had pain in my hips, legs and shoulders.
“I stopped the simvastatin, but my blood tests showed elevated CPK (muscle breakdown) and decreased GFR (kidney functioning). Six months later, the labs show my GFR is normal, but my CPK is still mildly elevated. When I try to exercise, my muscles get sore quickly, and the soreness lasts longer.”
Horoscope 
smokeyjo62 on June 21 at 8:14 a.m.
Hi, I read the story on the drug simvastatin.Hearing this has me greatly concerned for my mother. My mom has had M.S. since in her early 20’s. She is now 82. She has remained mainly in remission her entire life other than some numbness in parts of her body that comes and goes. She is now wheel chair bound mainly due to bone on bone arthritis in her knees. About 8 months to 1 year ago I took her in for a check up to her Doctors office. Her blood work showed her cholesterol was quite elevated. They put her on the simvastatin 20mg. In this time she’s been on this medication I have noticed a huge decline in many aspects of her mobility. If the food and drug administration has a warning on this med, why would her Doctor put her on this where she has M.S.? M.S. is a Muscle disease to begin with. Could this drug be causing her decline in her mobility? I printed this story off to show to her Doctor. I want her medication changed. I just took her in for her routine physical last week and still waiting for her blood work to come back. Thank you for posting this story on this site. This may have been my answer to why her mobility has declined so drastically. Thank you….