Your Favorite Coffee Might Be Raising Your Cholesterol

Duba
May 30
2 min read

Coffee machines are everywhere: at home, in the office, and even in gas stations. But a new study from Sweden shows that how your coffee is made can affect your cholesterol levels.

Coffee beans contain oils called diterpenes (mainly cafestol and kahweol), and past studies have shown these can raise your "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and lower your "good" cholesterol (HDL). But not all coffee is the same—and not all machines are equal.

🧪 What Did the Study Check?

Researchers tested 14 types of coffee machines found in offices and grouped them into:

Espresso machines – force hot water through finely ground coffee (no paper filter).
Automatic coffee machines – mix strong liquid coffee with hot water.

They compared these to coffee made with paper filters, espresso from cafes, boiled coffee, French press, and more.

🚨 Which Coffee Is Worst for Cholesterol?

Here’s the ranking from least to most harmful (based on diterpene levels per liter):

Paper filter coffee – lowest diterpenes
Boiled coffee with a filter
French press
Automatic machine coffee
Percolator coffee
Boiled coffee without a filter
Espresso machine coffee – highest diterpenes

So yes—espresso has the most cholesterol-raising compounds. Because it’s made under pressure without a filter, it keeps more of those diterpenes.

Melinda Perst from the American Dietetic Association (not part of the study) suggests drinking no more than 1–2 espressos a day. People who switch from espresso to filtered coffee could lower their cholesterol by 13% in 5 years—and up to 36% in 40 years!

❤️ Is Espresso Bad for Your Heart?

The study didn’t look at heart attacks or strokes directly. But since high cholesterol is linked to heart disease, it’s fair to say espresso might increase the risk more than other types of coffee.

🧁 What About Your Coffee Add-Ins?

According to Dr. Maya Vadivellu from the American Heart Association, added sugar and cream (or fatty milk) can harm your heart more than the coffee itself. Her advice?

Drink coffee in moderation
Cut down on sugar, cream, and full-fat milk

✅ Coffee Also Has Health Benefits!

Despite the diterpenes, cafestol and kahweol may reduce inflammation and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes when consumed in small amounts. Plus, coffee gives you: