Drinking coffee has been linked to a reduced risk of numerous diseases—including heart disease, dementia, Parkinson’s, and certain cancers. But to fully reap its benefits, not only the amount you drink but also how you brew it is crucial.
A new study published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases reveals the best brewing method to help prevent an increase in “bad” cholesterol.
Why Brewing Method Matters?
While many studies highlight coffee’s health benefits, including lowering blood cholesterol, some natural compounds in coffee—specifically the diterpenes cafestol and kahweol—can raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels.
To identify the healthiest brewing method for reducing these compounds, researchers at Uppsala University, in collaboration with experts from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, measured cafestol and kahweol levels in coffee prepared with 14 different types of coffee machines and traditional methods, including boiling, metal filters, paper filters, and cloth filters.
Filtering Makes a Big Difference
According to ScienceAlert, the results show that manually filtered coffee—using a metal or paper filter—is best for removing these cholesterol-raising compounds.
Boiled coffee, if not filtered through cloth, contains high levels of cafestol and kahweol. However, once filtered through cloth, the levels drop significantly.
By contrast, machine-brewed coffee still retains relatively high levels of these compounds.
David Iggman, Associate Professor of Clinical Nutrition at Uppsala University, emphasized: “The filtering process plays a key role in removing cholesterol-raising compounds in coffee.”
The research team calculated the long-term benefits of drinking three cups of coffee a day, five days a week, and found that filtered coffee can lower LDL cholesterol enough to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic heart disease by about 13% over five years and 36% over 40 years, compared to machine-brewed coffee.
The Takeaway
The researchers concluded that for people who drink coffee daily, filtered coffee—whether through a metal filter, paper filter, or cloth—is clearly the healthier option.
That said, if you prefer machine-brewed coffee, there’s no need to worry: numerous studies confirm that regular coffee consumption is still beneficial for heart health—regardless of brewing method, ScienceAlert notes.