Coffee And Blood Pressure: The Unexpected Results
As those of you who have I Love to Cheat know, Part I contains “The Blood Pressure Bonus” where I outline how I used foods to reduce my mother’s blood pressure to normal.
At the time I wrote I Love to Cheat, the blood pressure effects of drinking coffee were unclear.
So I want you to have the latest study results, which showed something no one expected…
According to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, healthy women who drank more than 6 cups of coffee a day were no more likely than non-coffee drinkers to develop high blood pressure over the next decade.
But women who drank coffee only occasionally or 3 cups a day or less actually had a higher risk of developing high blood pressure than the heavy coffee drinkers.
Doesn’t seem logical, does it?
The study’s authors admit the difference in risk is small, though.
Men had about the same amount of risk no matter how much coffee they drank per day. Only men who never drank coffee had a lower risk of high blood pressure.
One possible explanation for these unusual results was that heavy coffee drinkers may develop a tolerance to the blood pressure effects of coffee.
Some people believe we can now drink lots of coffee with no blood pressure effects. But the results don’t apply to people who already have high blood pressure or other risk factors for heart disease.
And the authors admit that the difference in risk between heavy and light coffee drinkers is small.
We were able to reduce my mother’s blood pressure when she drank 1 cup of coffee per day.
To me, it still sounds like no one knows the true relationship between coffee and high blood pressure, if any.
What do you think?
Important Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes only. It’s not medical advice and it’s not a substitute for any advice or treatment from your physician. Always see your physician for the diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure or any other medical condition.
Technorati Tags: coffee, blood pressure, high blood pressure
March 23rd, 2007 at 6:08 pm
I never listen to studies. They change their minds too much.
March 23rd, 2007 at 7:25 pm
If the study involved healthy people only, maybe they weren’t genetically inclined to have high blood pressure. I think high blood pressure runs in families just like other medical conditions. Sometimes, people are sensitive to salt which causes high blood pressure. Could it be that some people are sensitive to coffee or caffeine and these people just weren’t? I think they shoulkd have done their study with poeple who already had high blood pressure.
March 23rd, 2007 at 8:01 pm
There coulda been something in their lifestyles that cancelled out the effects of the coffee on their blood pressure. Cuz not just one thing causes high blood pressure. They coulda exercised a lot or had salt-free diets.
March 23rd, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Sounds like another useless study to me. Can’t believe people get paid to do that stuff.
March 23rd, 2007 at 9:56 pm
I tend to go on and off my coffee addiction. In the summer I tend not to drink it (I don’t really care for hot drinks) but in the winter it is an absolute necessity. This is only for me but I can recognize when I’ve had too much coffee (shakes, etc) so I just go by that. These studies make me a little cynical because it seems like one will come out next week that disputes the one from the week prior. I think it sort of goes with everything else - anything in moderation is ok… Everyone have a great weekend!
March 24th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Take my coffee away from me…and you will see my blood pressure rise!!
I think I have to watch my sodium a whole lot more than my caffeine. But my BP is really good now anyway…
March 24th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
I’m with blest. Dont take my coffee away from me. I have to agree with Deb, too. I’m getting cynical about these studies. It seems like they contradict each other every week.
March 24th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
I’m glad guys don’t have to think about this. I drink coffee all day long. It never seemed to affect my blood pressure.