Caffeine Blood Pressure And The Heart
Evidence has repeatedly shown that consumption of caffeine does not increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, or heart attack. One very well-known study examined more than 85,000 women over a ten-year period and found that there was no increased risk of these diseases, even in women who drank more than six cups of coffee per day. The Joint National Committee on Hypertension has specifically stated that there is no evidence linking coffee/tea and high blood pressure.
While some studies have shown a weak link between caffeine and elevations in blood pressure, the results are complicated and only consider short-term effects.
For example, one widely quoted study found that blood pressure rose slightly in subjects almost immediately after consuming a caffeinated beverage and that this blood pressure rise was more pronounced in people with pre-existing high blood pressure. However, these elevations were not very large and only lasted a short time. The study also showed that in about 15 percent of people with existing high blood pressure, drinking a caffeinated beverage actually caused a decrease in blood pressure.
Two important studies published in 2007 further supported the existing body of evidence by again demonstrating that:
- Caffeine-induced blood pressure changes were small and short-lived
- Caffeine does not contribute to disorders of the blood vessels associated with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
Coffee Doesn’t Cause High Blood Pressure
March 26, 2002 — Although drinking a cup of coffee a day may slightly raise your blood pressure, it won’t likely increase your risk of developing high blood pressure.
In a new study, researchers say a connection between high blood pressure and coffee drinking has been discussed for decades, but no studies have actually established this link. Previous research has shown that coffee temporarily increases blood pressure immediately after consumption, but the body quickly adapts to that effect. Other studies have hinted that there might be a more persistent relationship between coffee drinking and the risk of developing high blood pressure over time.
In this study, which appears in the March 25 Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers tracked the coffee intake and blood pressure of a group of male medical school graduates for 33 years. They found that drinking one cup of coffee a day led to small increases in blood pressure, but long-term coffee drinking did not significantly increase the risk of developing high blood pressure.
People who didn’t drink coffee were less likely than coffee drinkers to have high blood pressure, but there was no progressive increase in risk associated with higher levels of coffee intake, according to the researchers.
The authors note that studies have shown that stopping coffee drinking can lower blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure, and the results of this study may not apply to that group of people.
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Acute Effects Of Caffeine On Bp In Hypertensive Individuals
The characteristics of the 5 studies selected are shown in . All were conducted in English-speaking countries and included persons between 20 and 82 y of age who were habitual coffee drinkers. All of these studies had a crossover design. Study quality was heterogeneous. Three studies were randomized , and all of the studies were double-blind except for the oldest study . The BP measurements were based on 2 readings in 3 studies, but Freestone and Ramsay and Vlachopoulos et al did not report this information. No losses to follow-up were reported, although in the study by Potter et al one person did not participate in the second protocol because of illness. The BP cutoffs to define hypertension varied among studies and were not reported in 2 studies . Moreover, participants in these 2 studies continued to take their antihypertensive medication, whereas patients in the other studies did not receive treatment. Participants abstained from coffee and caffeine consumption before the study for periods ranging from 9 to 48 h.
Meta-analysis of the acute effects of caffeine on blood pressure in hypertensive individuals, stratified by caffeine intake, caffeine abstinence before the start of the trial, and use of antihypertensive medication
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Seven Things To Eat Or Avoid To Lower Your Blood Pressure
Authors: Professor Clare Collins, Associate Professor Tracy Burrows and Dr Tracy Schumacher
High blood pressure is called the silent killer. Thats because it has no symptoms. Having high blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease.
Six million Australian adults have high blood pressure 140/90 millimetres of mercury or more or take medications for it. Of those, four million have high blood pressure that isnt treated or under control.
No wonder heart disease and stroke directly cost the Australian economy A$7.7 billion a year.
There is some good news. High blood pressure can be treated or prevented. Eating oats, fruit and vegetables and beetroot, in particular helps. So does avoiding salt, liquorice, caffeine and alcohol.
Optimal blood pressure is 120 mmHg or less over 80 mmHg or less. Lowering it by 1-2 mmHg can have a big impact on reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke, and the nations health care costs.
How Much Caffeine Can You Drink A Day
The FDA recommends that adults dont drink more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, the average cup of coffee contains 80 to 100 milligrams of caffeine whereas a can of caffeinated soft drink contains 30-40 milligrams. According to a review of 34 studies, caffeine may raise your blood pressure, especially if you are not a regular coffee drinker. The review found that in general, drinking anywhere between 200-300 milligrams of caffeine can raise your systolic blood pressure by 8 mm Hg while boosting your diastolic blood pressure by 6 mm Hg. The caffeine, however, will usually only raise blood pressure levels for around 3 hours.
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How Much Coffee Should I Drink If I Have High Blood Pressure
Its up to you to decide how much coffee you can have if you have high blood pressure. Some recommend limiting your caffeine intake to 200 mg caffeine per day for healthy blood pressure. This is roughly the equivalent of two cups of brewed coffee per day. If you have high blood pressure, then this guideline could be worth following especially if youre specifically trying to lower your blood pressure, rather than just maintain it at its current level.
Keep in mind though that two cups per day may still increase blood pressure too much for some. Each persons sensitivity to caffeine is different, and can change.
You can try to assess the short-term effect of caffeine by taking blood pressure readings. Take a reading first at rest before having any caffeine, and again about 30-60 minutes afterwards . If your readings go up 5-10 points after caffeine then its likely youre sensitive to it.
However, this doesnt measure any subtle ongoing effects that caffeine may be having on your blood pressure. So if youre trying to lower your blood pressure, better to keep your caffeine intake on the low side.
Personal factors relating to coffee and high blood pressure
When figuring out what amount of caffeine is healthy for you, you also need to consider personal characteristics and other activities which exacerbate the effects of caffeine. These include:
Your age: The older you get especially once youre over 70 the more your blood pressure is likely to react to caffeine.
How Do You Know If Caffeine Affects Your Blood Pressure
To test whether caffeine has an effect in raising your blood pressure, check your blood pressure between 30 and 120 minutes after ingesting caffeine. An increase of five to 10 points indicates you are sensitive to caffeine, and you should cut back on it, Mayo Clinic says. To avoid withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, irritability and fatigue, cut back over several days.
A doctor can tell you whether to stop taking caffeine or limit your intake of it if you do have high blood pressure. He may advise you to cut back and have no more than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day.
That equates to about two 12-ounce cups of coffee or five Viter Energy Mints. While the amount of caffeine varies a lot in coffee, Viter Energy Mints contains 40 milligrams of caffeine.
If you lift weights or do physical labor and have high blood pressure, avoid caffeine before engaging in those activities, Mayo Clinic says.
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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.
Is There An Economic Benefit To Discontinuing Coffee Consumption
If youre someone who drinks a lot of coffee, you can save a lot of money just by discontinuing coffee consumption. Its not just about not buying cheap instant coffee anymore, its also about not going to expensive places like Starbucks anymore.
You dont necessarily have to go cold turkey maybe you can just reduce the frequency of your coffee consumption and overcome the urge to go to coffee shops every single day.
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How Does Caffeine Affect Blood Pressure
Caffeine is a stimulant. Its why coffee and tea put a pep in your step. It fires up the nerves and gets your heart pumping a little faster. The effects are short-lived, but for a few hours after finishing your caffeinated beverage of choice, your blood pressure will be higher than normal. Not to worryone or two cups in the morning does not cause any long-term problems with blood pressure or increase your risk for developing hypertension.
On the flip side, coffee and tea have been linked to some possible health benefits, but whether or not its only due to their caffeine is up for debate. In a recently published study, researchers followed over 200,000 adults for 26 years who reported drinking between 1 and 5 cups of coffee a day. These adults were found to have an 8% to 15% lower risk of dying from any cause . Another study following over 320,000 tea drinkers for 5 years showed that drinking 4 cups or more of caffeinated tea a day had a 20% lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Green tea prepared without sweeteners are actually recommended by healthcare providers for those with chronic high blood pressure as part of the DASH diet.
Is Caffeine Bad If I Have Hypertension
You may wonder if its safe to consume caffeine if your doctor has diagnosed you with hypertension. While you should ask you doctor just to be sure, having 1 to 2 cups of coffee or tea a day is usually considered safe.
If your doctor recommends that you regularly monitor your blood pressure at home, make sure to take any readings BEFORE you have your coffee or 6 hours after you finish drinking it, so you log your normal blood pressure and not your post-caffeine spike. Likewise, at each of your doctors appointments, you should let your doctor know when you last drank a caffeinated beverage .
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Is Coffee Or Caffeine Bad For Blood Flow Circulation
Video Summary
Caffeine is probably the most used or even abused drug in the world. Yes, its a drug.
Whats crazy is about 90% of Americans consume caffeine on a daily basis.
Coffee consumption is about 40% of the worlds population. And much higher in the US, at about 70%.
The point is, that most of us have a bunch of caffeine running through our veins.
Snacks That Lower Your Blood Pressure
Over 100 million Americans have high blood pressure. Here are three snacks that can help you lower it.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is an epidemic facing the United States. More than 100 million Americans have high blood pressure, and the condition played a primary or contributing factor in nearly 500,000 deaths in 2018. The most effective way to combat this problem is to make lifestyle changes, including a healthier diet, alongside prescription medication if your doctor thinks itâs necesarry. This level of commitment may frighten away some people who could really use the help, though.
Luckily, there are delicious foods that lower blood pressure. These treats can be easily added to your diet without calling for a difficult recipe or hard-to-find ingredients. While they wonât completely eradicate your high blood pressure issues on their own, theyâre easy, tasty options that can make a difference. What foods lower blood pressure that would make great snacks?
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What Are Some Of The Ways You Can Overcome Coffee Addiction
1. The first step is to ask yourself if you actually are addicted to coffee or not. Important questions to reflect upon are: am I drinking too much coffee? Am I able to function well without coffee? Is caffeine consumption getting in the way of my physical and mental wellness? Do I rely too much on coffee?
2. Its important to overcome your addiction bit by bit instead of trying to eradicate it all at once. For instance, if you drink coffee 5 times a day, perhaps you can cut it down and drink 4 times a day till next week. Gradually, you can bring it to 3 or 2.
3. It can help to keep a journal to track your progress on how much you cut down on coffee consumption this particular week, what withdrawal symptoms did you experience and so on.
Is There A Link Between Coffee And Cholesterol
Based on inconsistencies in current evidence, it is unclear if there is a meaningful link between coffee and cholesterol. According to research, the daily consumption of 10 milligrams of cafestolequal to around five cups of espressoincreases cholesterol by 0.13 mmol/L after four weeks. Although this is a significant increase, it may not necessarily push you into the abnormal range if your LDL is below 2.6 mmol/L .
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Ask Leyla: Is My Caffeinated Iced Tea Raising My Blood Pressure
Q: I drink iced tea from morning until I go to bed at night. Does all that caffeine affect my blood pressure? Should I switch to decaf teas?
A: Caffeine is a stimulant and vasoconstrictor that can temporarily increase blood pressure even if you dont have high blood pressure.
It is also thought that caffeine causes your adrenal glands to secrete more adrenaline causing the subsequent increase in blood pressure. Some researchers have found that caffeine increases blood pressure through adenosine receptor inhibitionblocking a hormone that keeps arteries dilatedalong with a release of some neurotransmitters.
As it turns out, people who regularly drink caffeinated beverages are found to have a higher than average blood pressure than those who dont. On the other hand, those who regularly drink coffees and teas develop a tolerance to the caffeine, which lowers its impact on blood pressure. These individuals are likely fast metabolizers of caffeine.
Those folks who are slow metabolizers of caffeine may present with high blood pressure after drinking a cup of joe or iced tea. For these people, it may be best to limit the amount of caffeine to less than 200 mg per day, which is about two eight-ounce cups of coffee, or just switch to decaffeinated. Make sure you get a Swiss process or water process decaf to avoid potentially harmful chemicals.
To your health!
Leyla Muedin, MS, RD, CDN
Email your questions to
Do Certain Foods Increase Your Risk Of Clogged Arteries
Certain foods, especially those that elevate your blood sugar or have a lot of bad cholesterol, can increase your risk of clogged arteries. This amazing kale pesto is only 210 calories and anti-oxidant rich! Clogged arteries can be dangerous. If you have clogged arteries, you may experience pain in your limbs or poor circulation.
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Some Reports Say Caffeine Has An Effect On Blood Pressure
It has become so accepted that caffeine raises blood pressure, that doctors advise avoiding caffeine before having your blood pressure checked because it may raise it enough to falsify test results.
But what is the evidence for caffeine raising blood pressure?
A 1987 Italian study actually found that caffeine lowers blood pressure. In this study, researchers from the United States and Switzerland studied 15 volunteers who didn’t have high blood pressure and were nonsmokers. Only six habitually drank coffee. Harvard says:
The researchers monitored each volunteer’s blood pressure, heart rate, and sympathetic nervous system under four conditions: before and after drinking a triple espresso, before and after drinking a decaffeinated triple espresso, before and after receiving 250 mg of caffeine by intravenous injection, and before and after an intravenous placebo .
The result?
A triple espresso did raise blood pressure readings except in the habitual coffee drinkers. In those who didn’t drink coffee, it raises systolic readings 13 mm Hg on average and diastolic by 7 mm Hg.
Harvard Medical School says:
But there was an anomaly. Harvard says there are hundreds of substances in coffee, and caffeine is usually the one named as raising blood pressure.
Their conclusions: Coffee raises blood pressure in people who don’t drink it regularly. Younger people also are more sensitive to coffee’s blood-pressure effects.