Coffee is loved by many people. Coffee is believed to be able to increase energy, especially when you are feeling tired. Until now, there are many pros and cons regarding the side effects of this bitter drink. Some argue that coffee can increase the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancer, but there are also those who argue that coffee is good for the body thanks to its nutritional and antioxidant content. However, did you know that the benefits of coffee are influenced by how the coffee is brewed?

According to the results of a recent study conducted by the University of Gothenburg and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, a factor that can affect the benefits of coffee for your body is how it is processed. Researchers found that filtered coffee is the safest coffee to consume, since it can help reduce the risk of heart disease. The results of this study have been published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

In their study, the researchers analysed 508,747 healthy female and male participants aged 20 to 79 years old. Each participant was asked to fill out a questionnaire about their coffee consumption habits, including the amount of intake and how the coffee was brewed. During a 20-year follow-up period, it was found that there were 46,341 deaths, of which 12,621 deaths were due to cardiovascular disease.

As a result, researchers found that unfiltered coffee caused a higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared to filtered coffee. Also, those who consume filtered coffee is known to have a 15 percent lower risk of death from any cause compared to those who do not consume coffee at all. For cases of death from cardiovascular disease, filtered coffee is associated with a reduced risk of up to 12 percent in men and 20 percent in women. Researchers also found that unfiltered coffee was associated with increased cardiovascular-related death in men aged 60 years and older.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay

Source(s):

• Tverdal, A., Selmer, R., Cohen, J.M., and Thelle, D.S. (2020). Coffee consumption and mortality from cardiovascular disease and total mortality: Does the brewing method matter ?. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487320914443.
• Science Daily - How to make the healthiest coffee (2020). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200422214101.htm, 28 April 2020.