Can consuming coffee daily increase cholesterol?

Do you consume coffee every day? (stockking/Freepik/Playback)

Coffee is a widely consumed beverage and well known due to its stimulating power. But few know that this drink can contribute to increased cholesterol. That’s because coffee has two compounds, cafestol and kahweol, chemicals found in oil droplets that float in coffee and also in sediment.

Cafestol works by hijacking the gut receptors responsible for keeping cholesterol levels stable. Thus, coffee may be co-responsible for raising LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and reducing the functionality of HDL (“good cholesterol”).

However, depending on how this coffee is prepared, you can change the amount of this substance, as coffee oils are more potent when the grains have longer contact with water.

Coffee strained through a paper filter has a lower concentration of cafestol, which is retained in the filter, making it the best option. The cloth filter also retains these substances, but in a more partial way.

The other ways of preparing coffee, such as the Italian coffee maker, French press, other types of filters and capsules, are not capable of retaining it.

Espresso contains the highest concentrations of cafestol, and drinking five cups of espresso a day for 4 weeks can increase blood cholesterol by 6 to 8%. Therefore, people with changes in cholesterol should pay attention to their daily intake of espresso coffee.