This 1 Coffee Preparation Can Lead to Better Heart Health

Even if you’re not a coffee aficionado, you probably have strong opinions on how to prepare your brew—whether it be French press, espresso, or perhaps the classic paper filter method. Turns out, your heart may have some thoughts on the matter, too. 

According to a new study in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, the way you prepare coffee can have a serious impact on the levels of compounds linked to high cholesterol. Read on for more on the study, and what it can mean for your morning coffee habit.

What did the study say about coffee and cholesterol?

The study, based in Sweden, had researchers collecting coffee samples from workplaces and comparing them with home-made coffee brews, they analyzed the concentrations of cafestol and kahweol. 

Those mouthful terms are types of diterpenes, compounds that can raise cholesterol. In fact, cafestol is the most potent cholesterol-elevating compound known in the human diet, per a 2024 study in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 

Boiled coffee had the highest concentrations of cafestol and kahweol (939 milligrams/Liter and 678 milligrams/Liter, respectively) in the study, but pouring it through a fabric filter reduced concentrations (to 28 and 21 milligrams/Liter, respectively). Other types of brews like percolator (your classic countertop coffee maker, if you will) and French press landed in the middle, with the exception of some espresso samples that had high levels. 

The researchers point out that drinking insufficiently filtered coffee could be an overlooked factor for heart health due to its effect on plasma concentrations. 

How does cholesterol in coffee affect the heart?

Large studies show that there is a U-shaped risk with coffee or tea consumption, says John Higgins, MD, cardiologist at UTHealth Houston. In other words, too little or too much can be less “healthy” than a moderate amount. 

“A single cup of coffee is probably okay, but two to three cups or more may be significant,” says Dr. Higgins. “Diterpenes in coffee can increase total and LDL cholesterol by reducing bile acid synthesis and interfering with cholesterol metabolism in the liver.”

Here’s how Dr. Higgins compares that to other cholesterol culprits: 

• Coffee: About two to three cups of unfiltered coffee provides 10 milligrams per day of cafestol—enough to raise LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol by 10 to 20 mg/dL in a few weeks, or a six to 12 percent increase in LDL cholesterol. 

• Saturated Fat: Replacing five percent of daily calories from carbohydrates with saturated fat found in butter, fatty cuts of meat, and dairy raises LDL cholesterol by about 10 mg/dL, on the lower end of the unfiltered coffee range. It also raises HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, so its net effect depends on the context. 

Some people may also be extra sensitive to these boosts in LDL cholesterol:  “Even small increases in LDL from cafestol can worsen an already high-risk profile,” says Dr. Higgins. Those who are already at higher risk for elevated cholesterol should be particularly conscious of their brewing methods:

• People with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH)
• Those with a history of heart disease or at high cardiovascular risk
• Individuals with genetic lipid disorders (other than FH)
• People on statins or other lipid-lowering meds
• People who’ve been told they’re “hyper-responders” to food choices (some people’s LDL levels spike more dramatically in response to cholesterol-raising foods, including coffee diterpenes)

So, what coffee preparation is the *right* preparation? 

A few simple switches can make a big difference in the amount of cafestol—that potent, cholesterol-raising compound—you’re consuming. “Cafestol is sneakily powerful, especially for a compound from something as ‘healthy’ as coffee,” says Dr. Higgins. “Switching from unfiltered to filtered coffee can reduce LDL significantly—sometimes as much as cutting back on saturated fat or trans fats.”

In terms of your overall health, the concentration of diterpenes  is negligible in instant, drip-filtered, and percolated coffee methods, says Bryan Quoc Le, PhD, a food scientist and founder of Mendocino Food Consulting. “It really depends on how the coffee is brewed, where the beans come from, and how much you're drinking,” says Dr. Le. 

Other lifestyle factors, like exercise and balanced eating, are likely to counteract or outweigh the effects of diterpenes from coffee when it comes to your overall heart health, too. Plus, coffee has benefits of its own. “Regular coffee drinkers tend to follow more healthy lifestyles in general,” says Dr. Higgins. “Coffee contains over 100 polyphenols, which are antioxidant compounds like phenolic acids and flavonoids.”

These polyphenols may help protect against oxidative stress that could lead to neurodegenerative and chronic conditions like obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

How to brew coffee that’s good for your heart 

To keep cholesterol-raising compounds low, opt for filter coffee (fabric or paper). If you’re not a fan of those methods, choose a French Press or percolator. That said, don’t beat yourself up over the occasional unfiltered cup, either. 

“One cup of coffee is highly unlikely to make much of a difference in the grand scheme of cholesterol levels, even if it had the highest levels of diterpenes,” says Dr. Le.