(NewsNation) — Your office coffee machine might be serving up more than just caffeine, according to research published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases this February.
Swedish researchers found that many workplace coffee machines produce brews with high levels of cafestol and kahweol, compounds known to raise LDL cholesterol, the “bad” type associated with cardiovascular disease.
“Most coffees from workplace brewing machines contain higher diterpene concentrations than paper-filtered coffee, but lower than unfiltered coffee,” the researchers wrote after testing 14 machines at Swedish healthcare facilities.
The study found that brewing machines, which use metal filters instead of paper, had median cafestol levels of 176 mg/L — significantly higher than the 12 mg/L found in traditional paper-filtered coffee.
Based on their findings, researchers estimate that switching from three cups of machine coffee to paper-filtered coffee during the workday could potentially reduce LDL cholesterol by 0.58 mmol/L, which could translate to a 36% lower cardiovascular disease risk over a 40-year career.
“Intake of insufficiently filtered coffee during working hours could be an overlooked factor for cardiovascular health due to its effect on plasma cholesterol concentrations,” said the research team led by Erik Orrje and colleagues from various Swedish institutions.
The researchers reported significant variation between machines and even between samples from the same machine taken weeks apart, meaning that maintenance and cleaning schedules might affect filter porosity.
Not all workplace machines perform equally. Liquid-model machines, which mix coffee concentrate with hot water, generally showed lower diterpene levels comparable to paper-filtered coffee.
For comparison, espresso samples contained the highest diterpene levels (up to 2,447 mg/L of cafestol), while boiled coffee also showed high concentrations (939 mg/L). French press and percolator brewing methods had intermediate levels (around 90 mg/L).
The researchers conclude that thoroughly filtered coffee appears to be the healthier choice.
