Dr. Rhonda Patrick

But hot methods generally yield higher concentrations per serving.

So here's how to translate all this science into a smarter coffee shopping decision.

You want to focus on three variables, species, origin, and roast.

First, if you want maximal antioxidants, a Robusta dominant blend is your highest yield option.

Robusta beans contain about 60% more chlorogenic acids than Arabica.

If you prefer the flavor of Arabica, choose lots grown near the equator at high elevation.

Think altitude, Ethiopia, Kenya.

because equatorial sunlight and slow maturation will boost the polyphenol density well above lower latitude arabicas from, say, Colombia or Peru.

And finally, keep the roast in the light to medium range.

That window preserves the greatest fraction of chlorogenic acids, whereas dark roasts burn off a significant portion of those antioxidants.

So given everything we've discussed so far, it might not surprise you that the brewing method you choose can dramatically influence coffee's health impact.

But what's truly fascinating and maybe surprising is just how distinct these outcomes can be depending on how you prepare your coffee.

Filtered coffee consistently stands out as the best choice for longevity and overall health.

A major cohort study found that regularly drinking filtered coffee was linked to about a 15% lower all-cause mortality compared to drinking no coffee at all.

Similarly, regular consumption of filtered coffee around two to five cups per day is strongly associated with a 20% lower risk of cardiovascular-related mortality compared to drinking no coffee at all.

Neither of these protective associations were observed with unfiltered coffee methods like French press, likely due to their cholesterol-raising diterpenes.

And when it comes to cognitive health, the data is even more striking.

Consistently drinking filtered coffee can lower your dementia risk by as much as 50% compared to not drinking coffee.

But these benefits diminish sharply or even reverse when using unfiltered brewing methods, particularly when consuming extreme quantities of coffee.

For instance, heavy consumption of boiled coffee, like Turkish coffee, we're talking extreme, around eight cups or more per day, is linked to a nearly double risk of dementia compared to moderate drinkers, likely due to those diterpenes, which I mentioned earlier, they're raising LDL cholesterol.