If you love coffee but have severe high blood pressure, a new study says you might want to cut back on your daily cups.
Surprisingly, green tea doesn’t seem to carry the same risks. Let’s take a closer look at what the research found and why moderation is key.
The study showed that people with very high blood pressure—specifically those with readings of 160/100 mm Hg or more—who drank two or more cups of coffee every day, had twice the risk of dying from heart disease compared to people who didn’t drink coffee at all.
However, drinking just one cup of coffee a day or drinking green tea daily did not seem to increase that risk, even though both drinks contain caffeine.
This might sound confusing, especially since other studies have shown that one cup of coffee per day could help heart attack survivors live longer or even lower the chance of heart attacks or strokes in healthy people.
Coffee can also have benefits like helping with focus, controlling appetite, lowering the risk of certain long-term diseases, and even helping fight depression.
But just like anything else, too much coffee can be a bad thing. Having too much caffeine may raise your blood pressure, cause anxiety, trigger heart palpitations, and affect your sleep.
This study included more than 6,500 men and 12,000 women aged 40 to 79. Among people with severe high blood pressure, those who drank two or more cups of coffee daily had double the risk of death from heart disease. In these cases, the harm caused by caffeine may outweigh the benefits.
Green tea, on the other hand, may offer heart protection thanks to natural plant compounds called polyphenols. These compounds have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which support overall health.
If you have high blood pressure, protecting your heart should be a top priority. Here are some tips that can help:
Check your blood pressure regularly as your doctor recommends. Take your medication exactly as prescribed—don’t skip doses. Eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains.
Try to limit salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats. Be active. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week. Manage stress with relaxation techniques like deep breathing or yoga. If you smoke, try to quit—it’s one of the best things you can do for your heart. Keep alcohol in check. One drink a day for women and two for men is the recommended limit.
Everyone is different, so it’s important to talk with your doctor and make a plan that’s right for you. So before you pour that second cup of coffee, it might be worth thinking about how it affects your heart.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about common blood pressure medication that may extend your healthy life span and common high blood pressure drug linked to sudden cardiac arrest.
For more about blood pressure, please read studies that timing matters when taking high blood pressure pills and 1 in 5 people with high blood pressure taking a drug worsen the disease.
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