A recent study published in the scientific journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases revealed that coffee from an office machine could be raising your cholesterol levels without your notice. While coffee may be marking the beginning of the working day for many, it is doing more harm than good. The study reveals that coffee brewed in the workplace machines may elevate LDL or bad cholesterol.
Researchers analyzed samples from 14 coffee machines across four Swedish workplaces, focusing on compounds like cafestol and kahweol, known to increase cholesterol. As a result it was found that the “intake of insufficiently filtered coffee during working hours could be an overlooked factor for cardiovascular health due to its effect on plasma cholesterol concentrations.”
Three types of workplace coffee machines
Brewing machines that use metal filters.
Liquid-model machines that mix a coffee concentrate with hot water — no filter involved.
Instant machines using freeze-dried coffee and hot water.
Workplace coffee generally ranked below the original home-brewed coffee in terms of health. The researchers even suggested that swapping just three cups of office machine coffee per week for paper-filtered coffee could lead to a meaningful drop in LDL cholesterol over time.
As per studies from Mayo Clinic’s Dr Donald Hensrud, moderate consumptions of coffee may even help reduce the risk of Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s and even liver disease. The study reveals that it is not the drink but how it is consumed by making small and simple changes to your everyday habits.
