Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and the most widely used stimulant throughout the planet. A study recently published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology , a journal of the European Society of Cardiology, has found a link between the method in which this drink is made, heart attacks and longevity. “Unfiltered coffee contains substances that increase blood cholesterol. Using a filter removes them and makes heart attacks and premature death less likely ,” says Professor Dag S. Thelle, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. ) and one of the study investigators. A cup of unfiltered coffee contains about 30 times the concentration of lipid-increasing substances compared to filtered coffee.
Thirty years ago, Thelle discovered that coffee consumption was linked to an increase in total cholesterol and LDL (the bad) cholesterol, to the point of being possible that it had harmful consequences for the health of the heart. Harmful substances were identified and found to be removable using a simple filter . At that time, the team of researchers began a large population study that has lasted for several decades and is now yielding interesting results.
Study participants (508,747 healthy men and women aged 20 to 79 years living in Norway) had to fill out a questionnaire about the amount and type of coffee consumed. Data on variables that could influence both coffee consumption and heart disease were also collected to take them into account in the analysis. Some examples were tobacco use, education, physical activity, height, weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol. They were followed for 20 years. 46,341 participants died. Of these, 12,621 deaths were due to cardiovascular disease. Of the cardiovascular deaths, 6,202 were caused by a heart attack.
What was seen is that drinking coffee was not a dangerous habit. In fact, drinking it filtered was safer than drinking no coffee at all (15% reduction in risk of death from any cause during follow-up). In terms of death from cardiovascular disease, filtered infusion was associated with a 12% reduction in the risk of death in men and 20% in women, compared to no coffee. The lowest mortality occurred among consumers of 1 to 4 cups of filtered coffee per day.
“The finding that those who drank the filtered beverage did slightly better than those who did not drink coffee at all could not be explained by any other variable such as age, gender, or lifestyle habits. So we think that this observation is true, “Thelle said.
Drinking filtered coffee was also safer, both to avoid dying from cardiovascular disease and heart attack. “Our analysis shows that this was partly due to the cholesterol-raising effect of unfiltered coffee,” said Professor Thelle.
Thelle also noted that unfiltered coffee did not increase the risk of death compared to no coffee, except in men aged 60 and over , where unfiltered infusion was associated with high cardiovascular mortality. Regarding this, the professor explains that the study only had the measure of coffee consumption but that in the years of research in Norway the way of preparing this drink was changing. The researchers believe that younger people, who initially drank unfiltered coffee, began to filter it, thus reducing the association with cardiovascular mortality. However, older men changed their habit less and continued to use it without filtering.
Professor Thelle stressed that this is observational data, but if public health authorities asked him for advice he would say the following: “For people who know they have high cholesterol levels and want to do something about it, stay away from the unfiltered beverage, including coffee made from a coffee pot. For everyone else, drink your coffee with a clear conscience and opt for filtering. “
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Referencias: Tverdal A, Selmer R, Cohen JM, Thelle DS. Coffee consumption and mortality from cardiovascular diseases and total mortality: Does the brewing method matter? Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2020. doi:10.1177/2047487320914443.
