For many Greeks, preparing their coffee – Greek, not filtered, not ground – is a daily ritual akin to a Japanese tea ceremony, the reward being that rich, deep taste that comes from boiling the product in a briki, preferably over gas if you can.
Along with that satisfying sitting down with the coffee, especially with friends, has been the belief that Greek coffee is also healthy, especially for the heart, as was reported by studies.
That included a 2013 report by the journal Vascular Medicine, which examined 142 elderly people, aged 66–91 years old from Ikaria, the island packed with people over 100 years old, and took into consideration the Greek coffee they drank.
The researchers, including Dr. Gerasimos Siasos of the University of Athens Medical School, found more than 87% of those in the study consumed boiled, Greek coffee daily and that the subjects had better endothelial function than those who consumed other types of coffee.
“Boiled Greek type of coffee, which is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants and contains only a moderate amount of caffeine, seems to gather benefits compared to other coffee beverages,” Siasos concluded.
Not so, according to a new long-term study published Wednesday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology which said filtered coffee is better for the heart than the boiled methods used for Greek and Turkish coffee.
“Unfiltered coffee contains substances which increase blood cholesterol. Using a filter removes these and makes heart attacks and premature death less likely,” said study author Dag Thelle, a Senior Professor in the Public Health and Community Medicine Department of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, reported CNN.
“Our study provides strong and convincing evidence of a link between coffee brewing methods, heart attacks and longevity,” Thelle said.
DON’T PRESS
“Unfiltered coffee, like Greek and Turkish coffee, which is boiled, contain higher amounts of cafestol and kahweol – chemicals found in oil droplets floating in the coffee and also in the sediment,” said registered dietitian Lisa Drayer, a CNN health and nutrition contributor.
“Studies have shown that these substances can raise triglyceride levels and LDL cholesterol levels,” Drayer said. “So stick with filtered coffee, such as a paper filter that you would use in a drip-brewed coffee, which can help to trap these chemicals.”
You’d probably have better luck convincing a Greek to give up a cigarette than a cup of Greek coffee and they can fall back on long-held beliefs and studies that the style they prefer is good, not bad, for the heart. Just ask Ikarians, especially those over 100.
The new study followed over half a million healthy Norwegian men and women between the ages of 20 and 79 over a 20-year period and results showed drinking boiled or pressed unfiltered coffee raised the risk of death in men aged 60 and above, due to elevated cardiovascular mortality, the CNN report said.
Filtered coffee was linked to a 15% reduced risk of death from any cause, a 12% decreased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in men and a 20% lowered risk of death from heart disease in women when compared to drinking no coffee and the study also found those who drank one to four cups of filtered coffee per day had the lowest mortality rate.
“The finding that those drinking the filtered beverage did a little better than those not drinking coffee at all could not be explained by any other variable such as age, gender or lifestyle habits. So we think this observation is true,” Thelle said.
According to the American Heart Association, filtered coffee can sharpen your mental focus, boost mood and improve performance during exercise.
But Whitney Linsenmeyer, an Assistant Professor of Nutrition at Saint Louis University and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said don’t denigrate boiled style like Greek coffee just yet.
“This is certainly an interesting study,” Linsenmeyer said. “But there are perhaps much more influential factors to consider in your coffee choice – such as the total quantity throughout your day, or the use of sweeteners.”
Siasos found Greek coffee beneficial. “Boiled Greek type of coffee, which is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants and contains only a moderate amount of caffeine, seems to gather benefits compared to other coffee beverages,” he said.