A causal relationship between metabolic syndrome and methylglyoxal (MG) has been suggested. Consumption of coffee and other types of beverages has been known to produce MG, thus resulting in both nutritional and health concerns. The purpose of this study was to determine the ideal combination of coffee, cream, and sugar in order to minimize MG consumption. Four types of black coffee were tested: espresso, bold, mild, and a decaffeinated mild roast. Sugar and/or cream were added to the coffee samples to test whether MG levels were altered. Using high-performance liquid chromatography, the concentration of MG in various coffee samples was determined. The espresso coffee sample was found to contain the highest level of MG at 230.9 microM. The bold coffee roast had the 2nd highest amount of MG, followed by the mild and decaffeinated varieties. Adding cream to bold coffee significantly reduced its MG level in comparison to the coffee sample without cream. On the other hand, the addition of sugar to the bold coffee did not further increase the MG level in the samples. The cellular damaging effect of MG was shown as there were decreased numbers of cultured HEK-293 cells after 24 h of MG treatment (100 and 300 microM), which is consistent with an increased cell apoptosis induced by MG treatment (100 and 300 microM). Due to the overconsumption of exogenous MG, drinking an excess of any type of coffee poses health risks.