The coffee diterpenes cafestol and kahweol raise serum cholesterol in humans. Each 10 mg of cafestol consumed per day elevates cholesterol by 5 mg/dL (0.13 mmol/L). Diterpene levels in various coffee brews were examined. Scandinavian boiled coffee contained (mean f SD) 3.0 f 2.8 mg, French press coffee 3.5 f 1.2 mg, and TurkisWGreek coffee 3.9 f 3.2 mg of cafestol per cup. Consumption of five cups per day of any of these coffee types could thus elevate serum cholesterol by 8-10 mgl dL. Italian espresso coffee contained 1.5 f 1.0 mg of cafestol per cup, five cups theoretically raising cholesterol by 4 mg/dL. Brewing time had little effect of diterpenes. Brewing strength increased diterpenes in boiled, French press, and espresso coffee but not in TurkisWGreek coffee. Diterpenes in instant, drip filtered, and percolated brews were negligible. Regular and decaffeinated coffees had similar diterpene contents. High chronic intake of French press coffee or TurkisldGreek coffee could increase serum cholesterol and thus coronary risk similar to that reported previously for Scandinavian boiled coffee.

▪ Abstract  Some coffee brewing techniques raise the serum concentration of total and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol in humans, whereas others do not. The responsible factors are the diterpene lipids cafestol and kahweol, which make up about 1% (wt:wt) of coffee beans. Diterpenes are extracted by hot water but are retained by a paper filter. This explains why filtered coffee does not affect cholesterol, whereas Scandinavian “boiled,” cafetiere, and Turkish coffees do. We describe the identification of the cholesterol-raising factors, their effects on blood levels of lipids and liver function enzymes, and their impact on public health, based on papers published up to December 1996.

Caffeine is partly responsible for the homocysteine-raising effect of coffee. Coffee, but not caffeine, affects homocysteine metabolism within hours after intake, although the effect is still substantial after an overnight fast.

No abstract

Drinking large quantities of paper-filtered coffee raises fasting plasma concentrations of total homocysteine in healthy individuals.