Office coffee brewers may be secretly adding to climbing cholesterol levels. Researchers discovered coffee made with office brewing machines contained much higher levels of diterpenes, chemicals that are known to boost LDL (bad) cholesterol, than coffee poured through standard paper filters.
The research, in a top medical journal, points out that coffee made with metal mesh or plastic-based devices commonly employed in the workplace fails to capture these cholesterol-raising substances as efficiently as paper filters. Consequently, regular drinking of this type of coffee may raise levels of cholesterol over the long term.
Health specialists now warn office workers to take notice of the way in which their coffee is being prepared. “Basing coffee on paper filters or restricting consumption of machine-brewed coffee can potentially offset risk related to high cholesterol,” recommended Dr. Karen Lee, who is a nutritionist and study co-author.
With more workplace-related health conditions tied to high cholesterol sweeping around the world, this latest development is yet another thing employees and employers have to consider in regulating office wellness.
