Study: How you brew your coffee can affect your cholesterol

By Tom Campbell via SWNS

Coffee lovers could be struck by heart disease - depending on how they brew their beans, according to a new study from Norway.

Men face could greater risks if they drink espresso while women are more likely to suffer from having too many filter coffees.

Naturally occurring chemicals in coffee have been found to raise levels of cholesterol in the blood depending on how it is brewed.

High levels of cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease, one of the leading causes of death.

But little is known about the impact of drinking espressos, where a small amount of nearly boiling water is forced under pressure through finely-ground coffee beans.

Now scientists have found that it could all depend on the drinker's sex and how the coffee is prepared.

Author Professor Maja-Lisa Løchen at UiT The Arctic University of Norway said: "Interestingly, coffee contains more than a thousand diverse phytochemicals.

"The intake of each compound also depends on the variety of coffee species, roasting degree, type of brewing method and serving size."

Survey data from 21,083 people, which had been collected between 2015 and 2016, as part of a long-term population study dubbed the Tromsø Study, was analyzed by the researchers.

Participants were asked how many daily cups of coffee they drank, ranging from none to six or more.

They were also asked what type of brew they drank, with a choice of filtered, cafetière (French press) or espresso from a coffee machine, pods, mocha pots or instant.

Blood samples were then taken from each participant and their height and weight was measured.

Other relevant health information, like whether they smoked, drank alcohol and how often they exercised was also factored into the analysis.

Overall, women were found to drink four cups of coffee on average a day, while men enjoyed a fifth.

Drinking three to five daily cups of espresso "significantly" increased cholesterol levels, particularly among men, the researchers found.

Getting through six or more cups of plunger coffee was also associated with raised cholesterol among both sexes.

The same amount of filtered coffee increased cholesterol among women but not men when compared with those who did not drink the stuff, the researchers found.

Instant coffee also had a different impact on men and women's cholesterol levels, which increased, but not in tandem.

A standard coffee size was not used throughout the study, the researchers caution, as Norwegians tend to drink out of larger espresso cups than Italians.

Different types of machine or capsules are also likely to contain varying levels of the key naturally -occurring chemicals.

Professor Løchen said: “This demonstrates how coffee contains compounds that may lead to multiple mechanisms operating simultaneously.

"Coffee is the most frequently consumed central stimulant worldwide."

"Because of the high consumption of coffee, even small health effects can have considerable health consequences.”

The findings were published in the open access journal Open Heart.