Due to a family history of early heart disease, I have to watch my cholesterol. I try very hard to limit my intake of saturated fat and sugar, as most experts suggest, but I never considered that I should also be concerned about drinking coffee.

You may have noticed that you can sometimes spot an oily residue on the surface of a cup of strong coffee. Coffee contains natural oils, and those oils contain chemical compounds that can raise cholesterol levels. Studies have long shown that older coffee drinkers have higher levels of cholesterol, but a recent study of younger people showed that it might depend on the type of coffee they are drinking.

Coffee that is prepared without a filter, like espresso, French press, and pour-over methods, tends to contain more of the cholesterol-raising oils than filtered coffees. The type of filter used may also make a difference. Paper filters trap more of those problematic oils than the reusable cone-shaped filters.

What you put in your coffee also makes a difference. Heavy cream, whole milk, coffee creamers that contain hydrogenated vegetable oils, and the MCT (or coconut) oil and butter used to make so-called “bullet-proof” coffees are all high in saturated fat that can raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol.

Adding a lot of sugar to your coffee is also a concern. Too much added sugar in our diet can lower our good cholesterol levels and increase triglycerides.

Today’s coffee drinks can contain as many calories as an entire meal, along with a whole day’s worth of saturated fat and several teaspoons of sugar. The study I referenced above tracked how much coffee people aged 18 to 24 drank and compared it to their cholesterol levels. The researchers found that the more espresso-based drinks the participants drank, the higher their cholesterol.

There’s actually a good bit of evidence to suggest that moderate coffee consumption (up to 4 cups a day) can have health benefits, so I’m not suggesting you give up your coffee habit entirely. To temper the potential impact on your cholesterol levels, consider sticking with filtered coffee, limiting the sugar and switching to low-fat milk or a plant-based milk like oat, almond, cashew or soy to reduce the saturated fat.

And if you use the single-serving pods, rest easy. Each pod has a filter in it, as I discovered when I started taking them apart, so I could recycle the plastic cup. Just doing my part for science and for the environment.

• Sherry DeWalt is the healthy lifestyles coordinator for the CGH Health Foundation in Sterling.