Coffee drinking will not spike your blood pressure, thankfully

Coffee and high blood pressure not strongly linked

Coffee lovers need not fret anymore about enjoying a cup with the risk of increasing their blood pressure as there seems to be a weak link between the two, a new report suggests.

It is widely known that high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart disease and a shorter life span. Coffee drinking is believed to worsen high blood pressure.

The report, a compilation of six smaller studies involving 170,000 people, asked them how many cups of coffee they consume every day. The answers ranged from barely a cup to more than five cups each day. They were then followed up for 33 years.

Findings of the study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that one in five survey participants later developed high blood pressure, although it was not specific to either light or heavy coffee drinkers.

Because the study did not establish a strong link, researchers said it would take more studies or a much larger one to definitely establish a solid conclusion.

Coffee drinking is often a topic of discussion between physicians and their patients because it is ingrained in the habit of so many people yet may pose a threat to cardiovascular health.

Even if it is proven later that coffee drinking is less of a factor in high blood pressure, health experts say that consuming plenty of caffeine has some other dangers. Also, coffee seems to have different impacts on people depending on their genetic make-up.

The study did not differentiate whether the participants drank caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee.

Posted by George Daniels on Monday April 25 2011, 6:32 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0