Although dietary cholesterol is only found in foods containing animal fat, coffee can increase your cholesterol levels. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee both have this effect, and it all depends on how the coffee is brewed.
Expert Insight
People who regularly drink unfiltered coffee can develop an increase in cholesterol, as indicated by an early study published in the November 23, 1989, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Drinking unfiltered, boiled coffee led to an average 10 percent increase in cholesterol levels.
Comparisons
In the New England Journal of Medicine study, no significant difference in cholesterol levels occurred between the filtered-coffee group and the group that did not drink coffee.
Identification
Cafestol, a chemical present in coffee, is the strongest cholesterol-increasing compound known in the human diet, according to a study published in the July 2007 issue of Molecular Endocrinology.
Process
Cafestol elevates cholesterol by inhibiting a receptor in the intestines that is essential for cholesterol regulation, the Molecular Endocrinology researchers found.
Types
Paper filters block Cafestol. Examples of unfiltered coffee brews include French press, boiled Scandinavian, Turkish and espresso.
