Office Coffee Machines and Cholesterol: What You Need to Know

Coffee from office machines often contains substances that can raise cholesterol levels, which can affect the heart and circulatory system.

It's worthwhile for those who regularly eat in the morning. When you drink coffee from an office machine, it's worth taking a closer look at what's actually in your beverage. Coffee from many modern coffee machines can contain unexpectedly high levels of substances that raise cholesterol in the blood – with long-term effects on the heart and circulatory system.

In contrast, filter coffee offers a significant advantage: most harmful substances are retained by a paper filter, while many office coffee machines leave them in the beverage. This is precisely the real problem.

High cholesterol levels from coffee in the office

Coffee has long been known to affect cholesterol levels. Two ingredients – cafestol and kahweol – are responsible for this. These belong to the group of so-called diterpenes. They inhibit a liver enzyme that normally breaks down cholesterol, increasing LDL levels in the blood.

A recent study from Uppsala University illustrates just how strong this effect can be – and that it depends significantly on the coffee machine. Researchers collected coffee samples from 14 machines in Swedish hospitals and medical practices. The results are clear and particularly relevant for people with high cholesterol.

The decisive amount

Coffee from conventional brewing machines, commonly used in many offices, contained an average of 176 milligrams of cafestol and 142 milligrams of kahweol per liter. For comparison, filter coffee from standard machines contained only 12 milligrams of cafestol and 8 milligrams of kahweol.

This difference is considerable and has consequences. The researchers calculated that switching to filter coffee could lower the LDL cholesterol level by 0.58 millimoles per liter for someone who drinks three cups of vending machine coffee daily. In the long term, this translates to a 13 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular disease within five years and even a 36 percent reduction over four decades.

Espresso and boiled coffee are the most popular.

Researchers found particularly high levels of diterpenes in espresso and brewed coffee. In some cases, they measured values ​​of up to 2447 milligrams of cafestol per liter of espresso, more than ten times the levels found in typical office coffee machines. Brewed coffee also reached values ​​of nearly 940 milligrams of cafestol. Only additional cloth filtering reduced this level to an acceptable level.

Filter coffee performed best overall – even when perforated aroma filters were used. The difference compared to conventional brewing machines remained clearly noticeable.

That's why brewing machines are a problem.

The design of the coffee machines has a decisive influence. Brewing machines, commonly found in canteens and communal areas, use metal filters that hardly retain the diterpenes. Liquid models, which mix coffee from a concentrate with water, performed better in the test – with significantly lower values, similar to filter coffee.

However, even with identical machines, the values ​​varied greatly – sometimes by more than double. This shows that the load is often difficult to assess.

The filtration process is key.

An average cup of coffee from a drip coffee maker contains about 137 milliliters. Extrapolated to three cups a day, this represents a constant additional burden of cholesterol-raising substances – which could easily be avoided.

"The filtration process is crucial," comments study leader David Iggman. "It turns out that not all machines have the ability to filter the diterpenes out of the coffee." Those who need to watch their cholesterol levels or want to take preventative measures are better off with filter coffee.

Interestingly, not only the type of coffee machine matters, but also the time of day you drink coffee. According to a study, those who consume coffee exclusively in the morning can significantly reduce their risk of death.

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