Hi! I'm Stelios Pantazis.
I'm a doctor

and I specialize in medical nutrition
and metabolic disorders.

Today's subject is an unpleasant one.
Coffee and cholesterol.

First of all, cholesterol is the most
important index that we know of.

It shows how healthy
our vessels are

which in turn reflects our true age,
it's not just a number.

We always want our bad
cholesterol levels, LDL,

to be as low as possible.

Unfortunately,
coffee increases cholesterol.

Once again, we talk about
each person individually.

We shouldn't put out a blanket rule,
i.e. you either drink it or not.

We can adjust
to each individual separately.

So we can see
when we can drink coffee,

how much coffee we can drink
and what kind.

Because all that affects
our cholesterol.

Let me start by saying that all kinds
of coffee increase cholesterol.

Some less, some more.
Let's see which is which.

The particles
that increase cholesterol

depend on how finely we grind
the coffee beans.

The more finely we grind it,
the worse it is for our health.

Second, filtering is important.

Filtered coffee is better.

Because the particles
remain in the filter.

The kind of filter is also important.
Whether it's metal or paper.

Let's take it from worst to best.

The worst coffee is the one
that we boil, i.e. Greek coffee.

It's finely ground.

Greek coffee
is the most finely ground.

It boils in water

and the residue
which we mustn't consume

floats in the coffee. It doesn't
have enough time to settle.

Even if you let it rest for hours.
There will always be floating particles

which will enter our vessels
and increase our cholesterol.

When it comes to cholesterol,
it's the worst coffee to drink.

If your LDL is over 115mg/dL,
simply don't drink it ever.

A kind of coffee that's better
or less harmful

is instant and filter coffee

that's been filtered using
a metallic wire mesh.

Most coffee makers
have a metallic filter.

You place the ground beans on top
and it drips underneath.

This method also lets many particles
that increase cholesterol through.

This goes for instant coffee,
as well as for filter coffee.

So these are halfway between
the best and the worst kinds of coffee.

Therefore, people whose LDL
is over 115mg/dL

and want to lower it, should avoid
these kinds of coffee as well.

Lastly, the best coffee is filter
coffee, using filter paper.

Filter paper holds 95% of substances
that increase cholesterol

and this kind of coffee increases
cholesterol the least.

So if you are worried about your
cholesterol when it comes to coffee,

the only coffee that you should drink
is the one made with filter paper.

So filter coffee with filter paper.

There's another secret.
The kind of coffee is also important.

Dark coffee is better for you.

So between light, medium
and dark roast coffee,

dark roast coffee is best for your
health, so you should pick that one.

Most coffee brands in the market
are dark roast.

So that's the easiest solution.

Of course, if you need to take
drastic action

to bring your cholesterol levels down,
avoid drinking coffee altogether.

Including decaffeinated ones.

That's all for now. Thank you!