How does coffee affect our cholesterol?
But what influence does drinking coffee have on our cholesterol? Coffee can increase your blood lipid levels, which is mainly due to the ingredients cafestol and kahweol. These diterpene alcohols inhibit enzymes that are important in the liver for breaking down cholesterol.
However, the cholesterol-raising effect depends on how the coffee is prepared: if you have elevated cholesterol, you should best drink filter coffee and only enjoy it in moderation. Why? Thanks to the filter, parts of cafestol and kahweol are caught during brewing, which means that they do not get into the cup.
The situation is different when preparing unfiltered coffee from press cans (like a French press). Significantly more cafestol gets into the hot drink here, which can affect your blood lipids. Six or more cups a day can raise cholesterol by an average of 0.3 mmol/L (women) and 0.23 mmol/L (men).