What Are The Risk Factors For High Blood Pressure
Hypertension can creep up on you. Most people dont realize they have it until they are in a situation where their blood pressure is checked or something bad happens like a heart attack.
This is one of the main reasons for being preventative with your health! Its not like you have nerve fibers in your blood vessels to tell you when the pressure is getting too high, so getting ahead of the problem can be a huge advantage.
Some of the things that can factor into high blood pressure include :
- Age
- Diet
- Stress
Notice whats not on that list? Yep! You dont see caffeine there, but well get there in a minute.
Does Caffeine Raise Blood Pressure
To be clear, caffeine does actually affect blood pressure. When you consume caffeine, whether it be from coffee, an energy drink, or supplement, one of its effects is to spike your blood pressure.
Caffeine raises blood pressure by blocking adenosine, a compound that helps blood vessels stay relaxed and open. Without the adenosine, blood vessels constrict, the heart must work harder to move blood through your system, and so the pressure rises.
This rise kicks off within 15 minutes of consumption and can last 4-6 hours. If you dont consume more, things should return to normal.
Many of us are in this position. We like our coffee or energy drink or soda or tea, and we pay no thought to the consequences of that little burst of blood pressure. Why? Because we never notice.
Hypertension, as stated above, has many risk factors, so you might get it irrespective of your caffeine consumption. If you get hypertension though, that spike in blood pressure can be serious, and caffeine will be one of the first things off the list if you get diagnosed with it.
For a small subset of us, our genetics make this all better or worse, depending on one little gene variant.
Coffee May Combat High Blood Pressure
Chemicals in Coffee Appear to Combat Blood Vessel Aging, Researchers Say
Sept.1, 2010 — Older people with high blood pressure who drink one to two cups of coffee a day have more elastic blood vessels than people who drink less or more, Greek researchers report.
As we age, our blood vessels get stiffer, and that’s thought to increase the risk of high blood pressure. The new findings suggest moderate coffee drinking may counteract this process.
Previous research has shown conflicting results as to whether coffee is good or bad for the heart.
The new study involved 485 men and women, aged 65 to 100, who live on a small island called Ikaria, in the Aegean Sea, where more than a third of people live to celebrate their 90th birthday.
“We were aiming to evaluate the secrets of the long-livers of Ikaria,” says study head Christina Chrysohoou, BSc, of the University of Athens.
She presented the findings at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.
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Drink Your Way To Lower Blood Pressure
There are many delicious drinks which can actually help lower your blood pressure, as well as just not raising it. Youll find the most comprehensive overview of these in our book:
Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally The Complete 9 Step Guide.
Also, while you can drink your way to lower blood pressure to some extent, youll almost certainly need to adjust your diet and maybe other aspects of your lifestyle as well. If you want to seriously and sustainably lower your blood pressure for the long-term, then youll need to be quite active regularly. Youll also need to make sure youre not too stressed out too much of the time.
This might sound like quite a big ask, but it can actually be quite a straightforward process if you just take it one step at a time. Our book will help you do just that. Each step focuses on different aspects of lowering blood pressure naturally and gives you clear guidance on how to do it. You can follow the steps at whatever pace best suits you. Theres no deadline or race.
Theres also no terrible hardship to go through. Lowering blood pressure naturally absolutely does not have to be a life of denial. You can still eat chocolate, drink alcohol, and eat red meat and butter , along with plenty of other tasty and nutritious foods.
There are plenty of ways to get more exercise in your everyday life which are enjoyable and suit your natural interests you dont have to be a yoga or gym fanatic .
Drinks That Lower Your Blood Pressure
If you struggle with hypertension, odds are youve looked high and low for a quick and easy way to reduce your blood pressure.
The truth is that theres no single solution, but making simple changes can yield powerful results. Something as easy as expanding and evolving your beverage intake can help to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.
While lower blood pressure may not be just a sip away, simple changes to what you sip every day can lead to some big heart health benefits.
Here are a few options to get you started.
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What Can I Do If Im Concerned About Caffeine And High Blood Pressure
If you are at all concerned about how your caffeine habit may be affecting your heart, here are a few things you can do to help ease your mind:
To sum it up: In most cases, a cup or two of your favorite caffeinated beverage in the morning wont cause any harm. Unless your doctor told you to specifically avoid it, its not something you should lose sleep over. The high blood pressure that comes right after drinking caffeine is temporary and wont make you any more likely to develop hypertension later in life.
Now, if youll excuse me, I need to finish my large, iced, French vanilla coffee.
Your Genes Play A Huge Part In Your Risk
Based on those studies alone, it appears youre in the clear to indulge every day
But its not that straight forward.
Not all the large observational studies found that regular coffee consumption is harmless. A possible reason for the inconsistent findings is that the population varies in underlying responses to caffeine.
How well we metabolise and tolerate caffeine is determined by our genes.
Individual genetic variations influence how our body reacts to external factors, especially how it reacts to the nutrients we eat. Genetic variations can influence metabolism for loads of nutrients such as alcohol , folate and folic acid , and caffeine too.
Depending on your genes, you may be a fast caffeine metaboliser or a slow one. This greatly influences how your blood pressure responds to coffee, as well as your heart disease risk .
Sadly, Im a super slow caffeine metaboliser, which is why I drink decaf.
Therefore, although caffeine only raises blood pressure short-term, those who are slow caffeine metabolisers and consume large amounts of coffee are probably at greater risk of negative cardiovascular health consequences.
In other words, if you are sensitive to caffeine and already have high blood pressure, it would be in your best interest to minimise intake or drink decaf where possible.
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Are Coffee And Tea Good For High Blood Pressure
Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease . And it is a common condition in American adults.1 The role played by the most popular beverages tea and coffee, in blood pressure is still debated. For years, it was believed that caffeine present in them will have an adverse effect on blood pressure . But, recent research studies have contradicted these findings.2 The fretting about caffeine in coffee and tea is, thus, slowly fading. Here are the facts about the power of tea and coffee in combating high blood pressure.
Coffee Vs Tea: Why Heart Health Should Factor Into This Question
Most Americans kickstart their day with a burst of energy from a good strong cup of coffee. And afternoon tea is a classic pick-me-up as energy fades later in the day. There are so many conflicting reports about the risks and benefits of caffeine that it can be confusing to understand the impact of caffeine on memory, digestion, and health.
So when it comes to the age-old debate between tea and coffee, which should you choose? Heres what you need to consider:
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Do Coffee And Tea Influence Your Blood Pressure
The daily high intake of caffeine has been associated with the increase in CVD risk factors. However, the long-term moderate intake of coffee or tea does not have any detrimental effect on healthy individuals. In fact, an epidemiological data suggests that black and green tea may reduce the risk of both coronary heart disease and stroke by between 10% and 20%.3
So, what is responsible for the CVD protection exerted by these beverages? Research studies are not yet able to identify the compounds which are capable of it. One factor could be the phytochemicals in them, which may influence the endothelial function, resulting in vascular relaxation. The improved glucose metabolism or the inhibition of oxidative stress may also contribute to it.4 The direct effect of tea components on endothelial-dependent vasodilation, which increases the blood flow, thus, reducing blood pressure, has also been suggested in another study.5
The 2015 edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans came out with a good news for coffee lovers. According to their recommendations, the consumption of coffee within the moderate range is not associated with increased long-term health risks among healthy individuals.6 Moreover, they point out that consistent evidence relates coffee consumption to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy people.7 But, the exact causes behind these benefits are still not proven. It could be either caffeine or any other compound present in the coffee.
Are You A Fast Or Slow Caffeine Metabolizer
New research suggests that people who metabolize caffeine slowly may be more likely to experience negative consequences consuming more than 2 to 3 cups of coffee . In a 2006 study of nearly 4,000 participants, researchers found that slow metabolizers of caffeine have a higher risk for nonfatal heart attack. A 2005 study revealed that women who metabolize caffeine slowly had an increased risk for reduced fertility and recurrent pregnancy loss when drinking 1 to 3 cups of coffee daily while women who metabolize caffeine quickly experience no known negative effects.
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Which Tea Is Best For Blood Pressure
Theres just something about making a cup of tea that makes you pause and relax. That in itself probably accounts for at least some of its blood pressure reducing action.
But its really the polyphenols in tea that make it so good for your heart and blood pressure. True tea includes black and green tea, as well as white, yellow, and oolong teas. They all come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Green tea tends to get all of the glory, but really, all of these teas are good for you. They simply differ in the way the plant is grown and how the leaves are processed.
- They all have polyphenol antioxidants. However, green tea has more epigallocatechin-3-gallate , whereas black tea is a rich source of theaflavins.
- They all have L-theanine, a compound that brings about a relaxed, but alert state.
- Black tea is highest in caffeine, whereas green tea and the other true teas tend to be lower.
- Studies show drinking about two cups of either green or black tea each day can lower your blood pressure.
Herbal teas are not part of the same tea family, so theyre not considered true teas. That doesnt mean theyre not good for you though! Herbal teas have no caffeine or L-theanine, but they do have antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. They also provide various health benefits, depending on the herb or plant used to make the tea.
Nutrients In Coffee Credited For Fighting Blood Vessel Aging
Most of the men and women drank traditional Greek coffee in small, espresso-sized cups.
Greek coffee is considerably stronger, with more caffeine, than espresso, Chrysohoou tells WebMD.
She credits compounds, including flavonoids, magnesium, potassium, niacin, and vitamin E, for combating blood vessel aging by blocking the damaging oxidation process and reducing harmful inflammation. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. This, in turn, can start chain reactions that damage cells.
Traditional Greek coffee contains more of these chemicals than most other types of coffee as it is unfiltered and boiled, Chrysohoou says.
“We recommend hypertensive patients drink coffee in moderation, just one to two cups a day, as it seems that it may improve arterial aging,” Chrysohoou says.
One limitation of the study is that participants drank their coffee in cafes with friends or with family at home, in a relaxed atmosphere. Therefore, the psychological benefits of socializing on heart health may help explain the findings.
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Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally In Other Ways Too
As weve seen, the effects of caffeine on blood pressure can be quite significant but so can the effects of many other foods and drinks. So one of the most direct ways you can lower your blood pressure is to make a few changes to other things you eat and drink.
Its not all about eating or drinking less of what you like, but a lot about adding good foods and drinks. There is actually a large choice of affordable natural ingredients that lower blood pressure. Many of these spices, herbs, berries, fruits, grains, vegetables, meats and drinks are available in local stores.
Of course there are other factors beyond diet that affects your blood pressure. So the best way to lower your blood pressure without drugs is to apply a broader approach covering all causes and cures with natural home-based remedies.
The guide contains simple and proven strategies for lowering your blood pressure and keeping it low through easy, effective and enjoyable changes in lifestyle.
These progressive steps are based on the principle that positive incremental change is always best in health matters.
Each chapter will take you further along the road of greater vigour and peace of mind .
P.S. This guide shows you how to lower your blood pressure permanently and naturally without side-effects or complications.
Follow each step to get your blood pressure back in balance.
Following this guide will reduce, and in time, eliminate your need for blood pressure lowering medications.
How Much Is Too Much Caffeine
People are debating this currently, but less than 6 cups of coffee a day should be safe. If you drink more than that long term, you might be at higher risk for heart disease.
You may have heard some media outlets saying recently that its safe to drink as much as 25 cups of coffee a day. Thats an exaggeration. The study theyve been referring to didnt actually look at people who drank more than 25 cups of coffee per day. In fact, most of the people in the heavy coffee drinker category reported only drinking 5 cups a day. Also, the study measured blood pressure, heart rate, and blood vessel stiffnessnot whether patients developed heart disease. We also dont know how long patients in the study stuck to their reported caffeine consumption.
So, as we mentioned, 6 cups a day or less is generally fine. Really, the biggest health concern lies in how you prepare your drink. The sugar and cream that many people like to add to coffee and tea can come with far more health risks than caffeine itself. Those extra calories have no benefits and can raise your risk for diabetes and heart disease over time.
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Coffee May Help Reduce Risk For Heart Failure
Drinking one or more cups of coffee a day may reduce the risk of heart failure, according to new research. But only if it’s caffeinated.
The analysis of data from three large, well-known heart disease trials was published Tuesday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart Failure. It found the more coffee people drank, the lower their risk for heart failure. But that benefit didn’t extend to people who drank decaf.
“The association between caffeine and heart failure risk reduction was surprising,” senior author Dr. David Kao said in a news release. Kao is an assistant professor of cardiology and medical director at the Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.
“Coffee and caffeine are often considered by the general population to be ‘bad’ for the heart because people associate them with palpitations, high blood pressure, etc.,” he said. “The consistent relationship between increasing caffeine consumption and decreasing heart failure risk turns that assumption on its head.”
But don’t reach for a refill just yet, Kao said. “There is not yet enough clear evidence to recommend increasing coffee consumption to decrease risk of heart disease with the same strength and certainty as stopping smoking, losing weight or exercising.”
Across all three studies, people who drank more coffee had a lower long-term risk of heart failure.
If you have questions or comments about this story, please email .
Is There A Recommended Intake For Each
According to the American Medical Association Council on Scientific Affairs, moderate tea or coffee drinking is not likely to be harmful to your health as long as you have other good health habits. Reference Daily Intake is this:30
- Four 8 oz cups of brewed or drip coffee.
- Five servings of tea, which is about 165 to 235 mg of caffeine.
- Ten 8 oz cups of coffee a day is considered excessive intake.
As mentioned earlier, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a government advisory committee, have also said that moderate coffee ingestion is safe. And according to them, moderate consumption is this:
- Within the range of 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day, or up to 400 mg of caffeine per day.31
- However, pregnant women are recommended not to consume more than 200mg of caffeine a day, which is equivalent to about two mugs of instant coffee or about two and a half mugs of tea.32
More research studies are needed to close the debate on the pros and cons of tea and coffee consumption. But for now, moderate consumption is considered safe for healthy individuals.
References
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