A recent study has shown that drinking two or more cups of coffee a day may double the risk of death from heart disease in people with severe high blood pressure.
Severe high blood pressure is defined as 160/100 mm Hg or higher.
Interestingly, the study found that drinking one cup of coffee daily or consuming green tea did not increase the risk of heart disease-related death, regardless of blood pressure levels, even though both drinks contain caffeine.
To provide some context, the FDA states that an 8-ounce cup of green or black tea has 30-50 milligrams of caffeine, while an 8-ounce cup of coffee contains about 80-100 milligrams.
Previous studies have suggested that drinking one cup of coffee a day might be beneficial, such as helping heart attack survivors by lowering their risk of death after a heart attack and potentially preventing heart attacks or strokes in healthy individuals.
Additionally, regular coffee consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of chronic illnesses, better appetite control, lower depression risk, and increased alertness. However, too much coffee can lead to raised blood pressure, anxiety, heart palpitations, and sleep disturbances.
In the recent study, researchers categorized blood pressure into five groups: optimal and normal (less than 130/85 mm Hg), high normal (130-139/85-89 mm Hg), grade 1 hypertension (140-159/90-99 mm Hg), grade 2 (160-179/100-109 mm Hg), and grade 3 (higher than 180/110 mm Hg). Severe hypertension was defined as grades 2 and 3.
The study included over 6,570 men and more than 12,000 women, aged 40 to 79 years at the start of the research. Over a follow-up period of nearly 19 years (up to 2009), 842 cardiovascular-related deaths were reported.
The findings showed that drinking two or more cups of coffee daily was associated with twice the risk of heart disease death in people with severe hypertension compared to those who did not drink coffee.
Conversely, drinking one cup of coffee daily did not increase the risk of heart disease death across any blood pressure categories. Similarly, green tea consumption was not linked to an increased risk of heart disease death at any blood pressure level.
These results suggest that people with severe high blood pressure should avoid excessive coffee consumption. The harmful effects of caffeine might outweigh its protective benefits in individuals with severe hypertension, making them more susceptible to the negative impacts of caffeine and potentially increasing their risk of death.
The study also highlighted the benefits of green tea, which may be due to polyphenols. These are micronutrients with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties found in plants, contributing to the health benefits of green tea.
This research, led by Hiroyasu Iso, was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about the benefits of low-dose lithium supplements, and low calorie diets may help reverse type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the best and worst foods for high blood pressure, and time-restricted eating: a simple way to fight aging and cancer
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