Filtered coffee is fine for high cholesterol. Unfiltered coffee can raise LDL, and creamy coffee drinks add saturated fat.
Coffee beans contain oils called cafestol and kahweol that raise LDL cholesterol. A paper filter traps most of them, so drip or pour-over coffee has very little effect. French press, boiled, Turkish and Greek coffee let them through, and trials show they raise total and LDL cholesterol, more so the more cups you drink. Espresso sits in between. Black coffee has no fat; a large latte made with whole milk has about 4.5 g of saturated fat.
Coffee and what goes in it
| Food and serving | Sat fat | Cholesterol | Fibre | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brewed coffee, black1 cup (8 fl oz, 237 ml) · FDC 171890 | 0 g | 0 mg | 0 g | 2 |
| Espresso1 fl oz (30 ml) · FDC 171891 | 0 g | 0 mg | 0 g | 3 |
| Whole milk, as in a large latte1 cup (244 ml) · FDC 171265 | 4.5 g | 24 mg | 0 g | 146 |
| Semi-skimmed (2%) milk1 cup (244 ml) · FDC 171267 | 3.1 g | 20 mg | 0 g | 122 |
| Skimmed milk1 cup (244 ml) · FDC 171269 | 0.1 g | 5 mg | 0 g | 83 |
| Soya milk1 cup (243 ml) · FDC 172456 | 0.5 g | 0 mg | 0.5 g | 104 |
| Half-and-half (single cream)1 tbsp (15 ml) · FDC 171255 | 1.1 g | 5 mg | 0 g | 20 |
A cup of brewed coffee has about 95 mg of caffeine; a single espresso about 64 mg. The cafestol and kahweol that raise LDL aren't listed in USDA data, and they aren't on nutrition labels, so the brewing method is the only guide. The soya milk record is USDA's original/vanilla calcium-fortified type. Source: USDA FoodData Central (public domain); search the FDC number to see the full record. Values are rounded and vary by brand and recipe.
The milk matters more than the beans for saturated fat
Black coffee and espresso have no saturated fat. A large latte or cappuccino made with about a cup of whole milk uses about a third of a 13 g day, and two a day use two-thirds. Skimmed or soya milk cuts that to almost nothing.
Bars show each serving against about 13 g a day, the American Heart Association's target (under 6% of 2,000 calories) for people lowering LDL. Work out your own number with the saturated fat calculator.
What the coffee trials found
Filtered vs unfiltered. A 2001 meta-analysis of 14 trials found that coffee raised total and LDL cholesterol in a dose-dependent way, with the biggest rises in trials of boiled coffee and in people who already had high cholesterol. Trials of filtered coffee showed very little increase.
How much. A 2012 meta-analysis of 12 randomised trials (1,017 people), lasting about 45 days on average, found coffee raised LDL by 5.4 mg/dL, total cholesterol by 8.1 mg/dL and triglycerides by 12.6 mg/dL. The rises were larger with unfiltered and caffeinated coffee, grew with the number of cups, and were bigger in people with high cholesterol.
Espresso. In the Tromsø Study in Norway, which looked at more than 21,000 adults aged 40 and over, drinking 3 to 5 espressos a day was linked to total cholesterol about 0.09 mmol/L higher in women and 0.16 mmol/L higher in men than drinking none. Six or more cups a day of boiled or plunger (French press) coffee was linked to about 0.23 to 0.30 mmol/L higher. Six or more cups of filtered coffee was linked to a small rise in women only. This was an observational study, so it shows an association rather than proof.
Brewing methods, from lowest to highest risk
- Lowest: paper-filtered coffee. Drip machines and pour-over with a paper filter hold back most of the cafestol.
- Low: instant coffee. In the Tromsø Study, instant coffee showed no clear dose-response with cholesterol.
- Moderate: espresso, and drinks built on it (latte, cappuccino, flat white). A couple a day is unlikely to matter much; several a day may.
- Highest: unfiltered coffee. French press (plunger), boiled or "cowboy" coffee, Turkish and Greek coffee.
If your LDL is high and you drink several cups of French press or Turkish coffee a day, switching to paper-filtered coffee is one of the simplest changes you can try. It costs nothing and doesn't mean giving up coffee.
Lower saturated fat coffee drinks
- Ask for skimmed, semi-skimmed or soya milk in lattes and cappuccinos.
- Go smaller: a flat white or small cappuccino has much less milk than a large latte.
- Skip the whipped cream and syrups on speciality drinks, which add saturated fat and sugar.
- Check creamers. Some non-dairy creamers are made with coconut or palm oil, which are high in saturated fat.
- Coconut milk drinks vary a lot by brand. Check the saturated fat on the carton.
How much is sensible?
For cholesterol, filtered coffee doesn't need a limit. For caffeine, the US FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally linked to harmful effects in healthy adults, which it equates to about two to three 12 oz cups of coffee. Ask your doctor about a lower limit if you're pregnant or sensitive to caffeine. If you love unfiltered coffee, keep it to a cup or two a day and see what your next lipid test shows.
General information, not medical advice
This page is for education and doesn't diagnose or treat anything. If you have high cholesterol, take medication or have another health condition, check changes to your diet with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Frequently asked questions
Does coffee raise cholesterol?
Filtered coffee has very little effect. Unfiltered coffee, such as French press, boiled, Turkish or Greek coffee, contains oils called cafestol and kahweol that raise total and LDL cholesterol. In a meta-analysis of 12 trials, coffee raised LDL by an average of 5.4 mg/dL, with bigger effects from unfiltered coffee.
Is espresso bad for cholesterol?
Espresso is in between filtered and unfiltered coffee. In a large Norwegian study, 3 to 5 espressos a day were linked to slightly higher total cholesterol (about 0.09 mmol/L in women and 0.16 mmol/L in men). One or two a day is unlikely to matter much.
Is French press coffee bad for cholesterol?
It can raise LDL, because it has no paper filter to trap cafestol. If your LDL is high and you drink several cups a day, try switching to paper-filtered coffee.
Does milk in coffee raise cholesterol?
Whole milk and cream add saturated fat. A cup of whole milk, about what goes into a large latte, has 4.5 g; a tablespoon of half-and-half has about 1.1 g. Skimmed, semi-skimmed or soya milk keep it low.
Is decaf coffee better for cholesterol?
The cholesterol-raising oils are in the coffee bean, not the caffeine, so the brewing method matters most. Some trials found smaller effects with decaf, but filtered decaf and filtered regular coffee are both fine.
Scan or log your coffee in Heart Tracker
Log your coffee with the milk you use, or scan a bottled coffee. Heart Tracker adds the saturated fat from milk and cream to your daily total, so you can see what two lattes a day add up to.
Download Heart Tracker FreeRelated guides
Sources
- Jee SH, et al. Coffee consumption and serum lipids: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Am J Epidemiol. 2001;153(4):353–62.
- Cai L, et al. The effect of coffee consumption on serum lipids: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2012;66(8):872–7.
- Svatun ÅL, et al. Association between espresso coffee and serum total cholesterol: the Tromsø Study 2015–2016. Open Heart. 2022;9(1):e001946.
- FDA: Spilling the beans: how much caffeine is too much?
- USDA FoodData Central: coffee, brewed (FDC 171890); espresso (171891); milk, whole (171265), 2% (171267) and nonfat (171269); soymilk (172456); half and half (171255).