In a study from the University of Bologna and elsewhere, scientists found drinking coffee helps maintain low blood pressure.
People who drink two or three cups of coffee a day have lower blood pressure than those who drink just one cup or none at all.
This applies both to peripheral and central aortic pressure, i.e. the one closest to the heart.
Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in Italy and the world: it is estimated that almost 10 million tons of coffee were consumed globally in 2020 and 2021.
Despite the long-standing fears of its negative health consequences, several benefits have long since emerged: a lower risk of developing heart diseases, diabetes, and certain brain and liver diseases has been found in regular coffee drinkers.
In the study, researchers analyzed the association between coffee drinking and peripheral and central blood pressure in a group of Italian people.
They looked at a sample of 720 men and 783 women from a sub-cohort of the Brisighella Heart Study.
They found that those who regularly drink coffee have much lower blood pressure, both on peripheral and central levels, than those who do not drink it.
This is the first study to observe this association in the Italian population, and the data confirm the positive effect of coffee consumption on cardiovascular risk.
However, it is not yet clear what these benefits are due to, and they do not appear to be directly related to the effects of caffeine.
The team says caffeine is only one of the several coffee components and certainly not the only one with an active role.
Positive effects on human health have indeed been recorded even among those who consume decaffeinated coffee.
Caffeine can increase blood pressure, but other bioactive components in coffee seem to counterbalance this effect with a positive end result on blood pressure levels.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about cannabis linked to blood pressure reduction in older people, and this common plant nutrient could help reduce high blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies that blackcurrants could improve artery functions and blood pressure, and results showing that vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
The study was conducted by Arrigo Cicero et al and published in the journal Nutrients.
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