Coffee and Cholesterol

[krazyduck]

I drink a lot of coffee from a french press and I recently came across some stuff that suggested it can raise cholesterol levels. My family has had some history with cholesterol problems, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the subject.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

This is interesting considering my coffee habit. So it appears that unfiltered coffee, in particular, has high amounts of cafestol- the component implicated in raising cholesterol levels in those who drink unfiltered coffee. In absolute terms, most studies tend to suggest an 11 point increase in LDL and 6 point increase in HDL. On the other hand, cardiovascular incidents are less frequent in coffee drinkers, which some have dubbed the "coffee paradox". What does this mean to me? If you have overt familial hypercholesterolemia, it might behoove you to drink more filtered coffee vs. unfiltered. For the rest of us, meh...not interested.

[trapntan]

First, I totally read the OP as drinking coffee from a bench press. Honest mistake.
Second, what is unfiltered coffee? Isn't that just grounds in water?

[Luke S]

Plus we don't know which kind of LDL cholesterol it raises and the net effect on inflammation its antioxidants have.

Jordan, I'd like to hear more about your coffee gainzzz habit. You are too a coffee snob?

[idlehands]

Careful. Paper versus metal filters also have a difference. Espresso and even the reusable metal baskets are bad while paper filters are good.

What's your habit and bean and brew method dr gainz?

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

First, I totally read the OP as drinking coffee from a bench press. Honest mistake.
Second, what is unfiltered coffee? Isn't that just grounds in water?

Grounds + hot water = unfiltered coffee.

Plus we don't know which kind of LDL cholesterol it raises and the net effect on inflammation its antioxidants have.

Jordan, I'd like to hear more about your coffee gainzzz habit. You are too a coffee snob?

There are many out there studying LDL's relationship to predicting CVD and other outcomes and outside of familial hypercholesterolemia, many would say it doesn't matter what type of LDL it is OR the concentration- rather the overall number tells you the information you need to know from that particular thing.

I am no longer a coffee snob because I don't have time. Mac is, however, and he'll give you the inside scoop!

Careful. Paper versus metal filters also have a difference. Espresso and even the reusable metal baskets are bad while paper filters are good.

What's your habit and bean and brew method dr gainz?

See above re: habit. Why do you say metal and expresso are "bad"?

[idlehands]

Not bad. I love me some espresso, but the information I had awhile back on coffee was that it had to be a paper filter to adjust cholesterol. i.e. the auto drip with reusable screen filters didn't have the same effect

[krazyduck]

Grounds + hot water = unfiltered coffee.


See above re: habit. Why do you say metal and expresso are "bad"?

From what I've seen, mass media interpreted filtered as filtered via paper.
I skimmed through a study with my layman eyes and it seems that it actually depends on the amount of fine particles in the coffee. So I guess it falls on a spectrum from not filtered eg. Turkish, to filtered by a screen eg. french press, to paper filtered eg. drip.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Yea it's not something I would take seriously....for realzZz

[Brodie Butland]

I haven't had a heart attack yet, so consider me skeptical of the link.