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Originally Posted by Redlemon
B_G, you mentioned decaf coffee and cholesterol, but didn't explain further. I'm interested to hear more. Also, does decaffeinating green tea remove too much of the "good stuff"?
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I think the jury is still out, but here's some stuff to read:
Decaf may raise bad cholesterol levels - Heart health- msnbc.com
Decaf can raise your bad cholesterol levels by up to 10%
Decaffeinated Coffee Tied to Cholesterol Rise - The New York Times
It's not necessarily the process of decaffeination so much as it is the type of beans they use to make it. (Cheaper robusta vs. arabica.)
As for decaffeinated green tea, opt for the tea processed with the carbon dioxide extraction method. It maintains the integrity of the antioxidants and especially the coveted EGCG.
Avoid "naturally decaffeinated" if it doesn't state a carbon dioxide process specifically. Otherwise they might be using a solvent such as ethyl acetate (which is common in wine actually). The problem with that is it may destroy much of the EGCG and polyphenols in the tea, thus removing much of the health benefits. So always choose decaf tea that was processed using the carbon dioxide method.
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Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 10-24-2009 at 10:45 AM..
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