‘Healthy way to drink coffee’ revealed by 20-year follow-up

Coffee has long been known to be bad for health, but a recent study is re-evaluating it. The new study looked at the relationship between coffee extraction methods, heart disease and risk of death, followed more than 500,000 people over 20 years, and introduced the healthiest way to drink coffee.

A team of researchers from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, investigated the association of coffee drinking with higher levels of bad cholesterol 30 years ago. In general, bad cholesterol is known to increase the risk of heart disease.

As a result of the investigation, the substances that raise cholesterol levels in coffee were identified as Kahweol and Cafestol, which raise blood lipids. And it turns out that coffee filters can remove these substances. It is said that the concentration of these substances is 30 times higher in coffee that is added without going through a filter.

To investigate whether drinking coffee leads to heart attack and heart disease in a randomized controlled trial, a large number of long-term follow-up was conducted. The research team surveyed 508,747 healthy men and women aged 20 to 79 years from 1985 to 2003. Subjects responded to a survey about the type and amount of coffee they drank. Also, through the analysis, smoking status, educational background, exercise amount, height, weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol level were taken into consideration.

During the 20-year study period, 46,341 people died, of which 12,621 were due to cardiovascular disease. Of those who died from cardiovascular disease, 6,202, or half, died from heart attack.

The analysis found that filter drinkers had a 15% lower overall risk of death than non-coffee drinkers. In addition, when limiting mortality from cardiovascular disease, those who drank filtered coffee had a 12% lower risk of death for men and 20% for women. The lowest mortality rate is said to be 1 to 4 cups of coffee.

Of course, he says that the results of this analysis cannot be explained by variables such as age, gender, and lifestyle. Drinking unfiltered coffee is not fundamentally associated with a higher mortality rate than non-coffee drinkers, but in exceptional cases, unfiltered coffee consumption in men over the age of 60 was associated with an increased mortality from heart disease. to be.

It should be taken into account that the results of this study are from an observational study. However, the research team explains that it is better to recognize that cholesterol levels are high and avoid drinking coffee that does not use a filter, such as a French press. Related information can be found here.