WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A recent study from Uppsala University, in collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology, has revealed that coffee from most workplace coffee machines contains significant amounts of substances that can raise cholesterol levels.
'Considering how much coffee is consumed in Swedish workplaces, we wanted to get a picture of the content of cholesterol-elevating substances in coffee from these types of machines,' said lead author David Iggman, researcher at Uppsala University.
This study, published in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, examined the diterpene levels in coffee brewed using various common machines and techniques. Diterpenes, plant compounds, affect the human body in several ways, with two - cafestol and kahweol, linked to increased levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.
Researchers tested coffee brewed by 11 machines using ground coffee mixed with hot water and filtered through metal, as well as three machines that mixed a liquid coffee concentrate with hot water without filtration.
They also brewed coffee using different methods, including drip-brew, percolator, French press, and boiled coffee, and then analyzed the diterpene concentrations. Additionally, four espresso samples were collected from three cafeterias and a workplace.
The study calculated the potential health benefits for someone drinking three cups of coffee daily, five days a week. Switching from machine-brewed coffee to paper-filtered coffee could reduce LDL cholesterol levels, decreasing the relative risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by 13 percent over five years and 36 percent over 40 years.
Interestingly, espresso appeared to have the highest diterpene levels, with a median cafestol concentration of approximately 1,060 mg/L. However, the levels varied dramatically between the four samples, ranging from 35.6 mg/L to 2,446.7 mg/L.
Coffee brewed from liquid concentrate and machine models had a median cafestol level of 174 mg/L and kahweol at 135 mg/L. French presses produced moderate diterpene levels, with cafestol under 90 mg/L and kahweol under 70 mg/L, similar to percolators.
The healthiest option, according to the study, was paper-filtered drip-brew coffee, with a median cafestol concentration of just 11.5 mg/L and kahweol at 8.2 mg/L. When boiled coffee was filtered through fabric, the levels dropped to 28 mg/L for cafestol and 21 mg/L for kahweol.
'Most of the coffee samples contained levels that could feasibly affect the levels of LDL cholesterol of people who drank the coffee, as well as their future risk of cardiovascular disease,' noted Iggman.
'For people who drink a lot of coffee every day, it's clear that drip-filter coffee, or other well-filtered coffee, is preferable. To determine the precise effects on LDL cholesterol levels, we would need to conduct a controlled study of subjects who would drink the coffee.'
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