Dr. Rhonda Patrick

High intake of boiled coffee also shows potential association with increased risk for specific cancers, as mentioned earlier, pancreatic cancer, respiratory tract cancers as well.

So it really highlights the need for moderation and caution when you're drinking boiled coffee.

You don't want to go to that extreme level of drinking eight cups per day.

I would say given the otherwise strong evidence for coffee's anti-dementia effects at more normal doses, either excessive intake itself or specifically boiled coffee is likely the culprit here with respect to increased dementia risk.

Because as I mentioned earlier, filtered coffee is associated with as much as a 50% lower dementia risk compared to not drinking coffee.

Now, espresso is somewhat of a special case.

While espresso does still contain those cholesterol-raising diterpenes, moderate espresso consumption, like two to three servings daily, remains strongly associated with a lower overall mortality, likely due to its exceptionally high antioxidant density per ounce.

Espresso's robust polyphenol content might actually balance out some of the diterpene-related downsides, providing that you're maintaining a moderate consumption of espresso.

Instant coffee, which is often overlooked, actually holds up remarkably well against filtered coffee.

Studies consistently find that instant coffee drinkers also benefit from a lower all-cause mortality as well as a significant protection against diabetes and cognitive decline.

That's probably because instant coffee also has high antioxidant levels similar to traditionally brewed coffee.

So to sum it up, filtered coffee really emerges as the best way to brew coffee.

It offers the strongest, most consistent health benefits across cardiovascular, metabolic, cognitive, and longevity outcomes.

Espresso and instant coffee also provide substantial protective effects at moderate consumption levels.

Unfiltered methods, especially boiled coffee or very heavy French press consumption, require greater caution due to their cholesterol-raising diterpenes

And at very, very extreme high levels, eight cups or more a day, potential cognitive risks, even though moderate intake probably still offers beneficial polyphenols and antioxidants.

And coffee's health benefits extend far beyond just its caffeine content.

And that really challenges a major assumption that many people hold, that caffeine alone drives coffee's benefits.

But the story shifts dramatically when we look at neurological outcomes like cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.

This is where caffeine clearly takes center stage.