How to Make Your Coffee Healthy

As a coffee fan, I’ll say yes to coffee any time of the day.

But not all coffee is created equally. Depending on what type of coffee you drink and how you brew, it may be healthy or unhealthy for you.

Researchers are digging deeper into trying to understand how coffee affects our cardiovascular health. Here’s what they’ve found.

Unfiltered coffee is bad for your heart

A new study shows that some brands of coffee can increase your risk of heart disease. In one study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers looked at the relationship between people’s genetic constitution and coffee intake. They also measured the level of cholesterol and fats in the blood of 363,000 participants.

They found that habitual coffee drinkers have a higher lipid profile (or higher fat levels in their blood), which can, in turn, increase their risk of heart disease.

And this is because coffee beans contain cafestol. Cafestol is found in the most popular coffee brands and is a substance that can elevate the level of cholesterol in your blood. But don’t be alarmed, not all coffees contain cafestol. It is mainly found in unfiltered brews, such as in French press coffee, Turkish coffee, and Greek coffee.

The coffee brewing method can also affect your cardiovascular health. Depending on how you brew your coffee, it can be healthy or unhealthy for you. Coffee brewed in percolators and Italian Moka pots is unfiltered and so it’s not the best for your heart.

And bad news for espresso lovers too, so if you’re a Starbucks fan of cappuccino and iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso, watch how much coffee you consume.

How much unfiltered coffee is safe to drink?

Drinking a cup or two of unfiltered coffee a day probably won’t pose health problems, as researchers found that it’s the amount of unfiltered coffee that you drink that can put you at risk for heart disease.

As they reported: “Six or more cups a day can increase the amount of lipids (fats) in your blood to significantly heighten your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).” So if you’re a coffee lover like me who sometimes drinks up to five cups a day, then you need to pay attention to the brewing method of the coffee you consume.

Filtered coffee is what you should drink

So you may wonder, how can I brew my coffee so it’s healthy for me?

The traditional and old-fashioned coffee maker will be your best bet.

This is the only way to make a “filtered” type of coffee that is good for your heart and doesn’t contain cafestol. As researchers stated, “there is no, or very little cafestol” in filtered coffee. (And yes, the pour-over fits this category, too.”)

The researchers also approved instant coffee because it is also filtered and doesn’t negatively affect lipid levels.

The bottom line

If you’re a coffee fan, you need to pay attention to how you consume your coffee. The brands of coffee that you drink as well as the brewing method of coffee can put you at risk for heart problems. If most of the coffee you drink is unfiltered, it can increase the lipids (fats) in your blood. The healthiest way to drink your coffee is by brewing it the traditional way using a coffee maker.