Why drinking filter coffee can cut heart risk

A cup of coffee is usually the answer when you’re feeling exhausted, sleepy and without energy.

But fulfilling your daily caffeine fix also provides surprising health benefits.

Drinking filter coffee could reduce the chance of dying from a heart attack or stroke.

Just one to four cups a day cuts the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 20 per cent for women and 12 per cent for men, a study suggests.

Researchers looked at the coffee-drinking habits of more than half a million people, singling out those who drank filtered, instant and decaffeinated coffee.

Filter coffee is different to other types, such as  a latte or espresso, because it is brewed by letting hot water drip down through coffee grounds. But other types are made by forcing steam at high pressure through the grounds.

Filter coffee has health benefits because it filters out substances called diterpenes which can increase cholesterol and cause cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and strokes.

Researchers tracked the subjects of their study over 20 years on average and found those drinking filter coffee were less likely to die early than people who drank unfiltered coffee.

The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, looked at people aged 20 to 79 who were asked if they drank coffee. If the answer was yes, they were asked how many cups they drank, and if it was filter coffee, unfiltered coffee or a mixture of both. The results show there was no significant difference in risk of early death for unfiltered coffee drinkers compared to non drinkers.

But the risk was 15 per cent lower for both sexes who had one to four cups of filter coffee a day, compared to non coffee drinkers.