Expert Warns: Your Favorite Drink's Preparation May Increase Lethal Pancreatic Cancer Risk

READ MORE: Top expert reveals the type of coffee that's linked to cancer

Brewing coffee with a French press could increase the risk of certain types of cancer , a nutritionist has warned.

That's because this unfiltered method allows oily and potentially harmful compounds naturally found in coffee called—diterpenes—to sneak in to your cup.

Long-term exposure to high levels of this compound has been linked to pancreatic and throat cancers.

Other unfiltered brewing methods which allow diterpenes to enter the brew include espresso, boiled coffee and trendy stove top devices.

Filtered methods, meanwhile, have been linked to lower cancer risk.

According to American nutritionist Rhonda Patrick, the link to disease lies with both diterpenes and protective compounds called polyphenols.

In a video posted on X—which has amassed over 1.9million views—she explained how on one hand 'coffee is rich in polyphenols'.

'These are antioxidants that can lower dementia risk by as low as 50 per cent and reduce DNA damage—a critical precursor to cancer—by around 23 per cent.'

But, on the other hand, she added, coffee also contains 'fat-soluble diterpenes' that raise both cancer and heart disease risk.

That's because diterpenes are known to increase bad cholesterol 'in just a few weeks'.

'Bad' cholesterol, or LDL, is a fatty substance that builds up in blood vessels, interfering with blood flow to and from the heart, and raising the risk of damage to the organ.

Traditional paper drip and instant cold brew are both filtered brewing methods she recommended that can lower your risk of cancers and heart trouble.

'They trap diterpenes essentially eliminating their negative effects whilst still preserving beneficial polyphenols,' she explained.

However, she warned against methods that use equipment containing harmful microplastics that can also work their way into your coffee.

'Hot water to plastic will accelerate the release of microplastics into your beverage, as well as your plastic associated chemicals.

'So if you are going to do filtered coffee, pour over is probably your best bet. Doing something into a glass container and not having hot water touch plastic,' she added.

She warned of similar risks of using popular espresso pods, explaining how chemicals are released when hot water runs through them.

Ms Patrick's warning comes after scientists discovered too much instant coffee could increase the risk of some types of cancer.

That's because the popular caffeinated drink contains twice as much acrylamide than ground coffee — a chemical substance produced when some food, including coffee beans, is cooked at high temperatures.

The product has been declared as a 'problem human carcinogen' by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), meaning there is evidence the chemical could cause cancer in humans.

Laboratory tests revealed acrylamide in the diet causes lung and reproductive cancers in animals and scientists agree that it has the potential for similar effects in humans, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

A Polish study from 2013 that analysed 42 samples of coffee, including ten instant coffees, revealed instant coffee had double the amount of acrylamide than freshly ground coffee.

However, you would need to drink about ten cups of instant coffee a day for your intake of acrylamide to become a concern, according to researchers at McGill University in Canada.

Some 80 per cent of UK households buy instant coffee, particularly those aged over 65, according to research by the British Coffee Association.