As a general antioxidant, a supplement of 10mg a day is appropriate, says Ray Sahelian, a California physician who has written a new book on coenzyme Q-10. The average diet provides 1mg coQ-10 a day, according to a recent Danish study. Some say coffee beans cause high cholesterol. Peggy Regentine Honolulu Coffee beans contain diterpenes, chemicals that can slightly raise blood cholesterol and triglycerides, recent research shows. Fortunately, these culprits are largely removed when coffee is brewed by the drip-filter method favored in this country.
Instant coffee is also virtually free of the cholesterol-raising chemicals.
Espresso contains moderate amounts. More serious seems to be coffee's potential to raise blood levels of homocysteine, a protein that promotes artery clogging. Nearly all subjects in the study drank drip-filtered coffee, meaning diterpenes probably are not at fault. Any kind of kitchen garlic contains plant chemicals that have been shown to help lower cholesterol, fight infection, block cancer and clear arteries. See this issue's delicious recipe that uses whole garlic - and lots of it.