A new study from Norway has found that the way you make your coffee—and whether you are a man or a woman—may affect how much it raises your cholesterol.
Cholesterol is an important factor in heart health, and high levels can increase the risk of heart disease. Because coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, even small effects could matter for many people.
The research was published in the journal Open Heart. It included more than 21,000 adults aged 40 and older. The scientists wanted to understand how different types of coffee affect cholesterol levels in real life, especially as coffee habits have changed over time.
In recent years, drinks like espresso have become much more common, but their health effects are still not fully clear.
Coffee is not just a simple drink. It contains many natural chemicals from coffee beans. Among these are substances called cafestol and kahweol. These are known to raise cholesterol levels in the blood.
However, how much of these substances end up in your cup depends on how the coffee is made. Some brewing methods remove most of them, while others let them pass into the drink.
To study this, researchers used data from the Tromsø Study, a long-term health project in Norway that started in 1974. This study follows people living in the city of Tromsø over many years to understand how lifestyle affects health.
In one part of the study conducted between 2015 and 2016, participants were asked about their coffee habits. They reported how many cups they drank each day and what type of coffee they preferred.
The researchers also collected blood samples and asked about other factors such as diet, exercise, education, and whether the participants had type 2 diabetes. This helped them get a clearer picture of each person’s health.
The study included 11,074 women and 10,009 men, with an average age of 56. Women reported drinking nearly four cups of coffee each day, while men drank about five cups on average. The researchers compared several types of coffee, including filtered coffee, plunger coffee (also known as French press), espresso, and instant coffee.
The results showed clear differences depending on the brewing method. People who drank espresso had higher cholesterol levels than those who did not drink espresso. This effect was stronger in men than in women.
Among people who drank three to five cups of espresso each day, cholesterol levels were slightly higher, with a bigger increase seen in men.
Plunger coffee also raised cholesterol levels, especially when people drank six or more cups a day. In this case, both men and women were affected, although the increase was a little higher in women.
Filtered coffee showed a different pattern. Drinking large amounts of filtered coffee raised cholesterol in women, but not in men. This may be because paper filters remove much of the cafestol and kahweol from the coffee.
Instant coffee had only a small effect on cholesterol, and the increase did not change much with the number of cups consumed.
One interesting finding was that espresso showed the largest difference between men and women, while plunger coffee showed the smallest difference. The researchers are not yet sure why this happens. It may be related to differences in body chemistry, hormones, or how men and women process these compounds.
The researchers also noted some limits in their study. For example, they did not measure the exact size of each cup of coffee. In Norway, espresso servings may be larger than in other countries. Also, different coffee machines and pods can produce drinks with different levels of cafestol and kahweol.
Another important point is that coffee contains more than a thousand natural compounds. Some of these may have positive effects.
While cafestol and kahweol can raise cholesterol, other studies suggest they may help reduce inflammation, support liver health, and even lower the risk of some diseases like cancer and diabetes. This means coffee can have both helpful and harmful effects at the same time.
Overall, this study suggests that how you make your coffee matters for your health. Filtered coffee may be a better choice for people who are concerned about cholesterol, especially if they drink several cups a day. Espresso and plunger coffee may be fine in moderation, but drinking large amounts could raise cholesterol levels.
The study does not suggest that people should stop drinking coffee. Instead, it highlights that small changes, such as choosing a different brewing method, may help protect heart health while still enjoying coffee.
Because coffee is so widely consumed, these findings could have important effects on public health. Many people drink coffee every day, so understanding how it affects the body is an important step toward better health choices.
If you care about health, please read studies about the benefits of low-dose lithium supplements, and what we know about egg intake and heart disease.
For more health information, please see recent studies about potatoes and high blood pressure, and results showing 6 best breads for people with heart disease.
The research findings can be found in Open Heart.
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