Vital Signs Drinking decaffeinated coffee can raise the level of L.D.L., the bad cholesterol associated with cardiovascular disease risk, new research suggests. The effect is significant, according to Dr. H. Robert Superko of the Fuqua Heart Center in Atlanta, who led the study. "If an individual has elevated L.D.L. and wants to lower it without drugs," Dr. Superko said, "a combined approach of diet, exercise, weight loss and cessation of decaffeinated coffee - if they drink three to six cups a day - could reduce the L.D.L. 30 percent and help avoid lifelong drug therapy." The study, financed by the...