A recent study led by Choy-Lye Chei and published in The European Journal of Nutrition explores how the way people drink coffee and tea may impact their risk of high blood pressure.
This study examined the effects of caffeine, a natural stimulant found in many products, including coffee, tea, cocoa, and cola. Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system and increases circulation of cortisol and adrenaline, chemicals linked to alertness and energy.
However, this stimulant can also raise blood pressure, making caffeine’s effect on heart health a long-standing area of research.
To investigate the connection between coffee, tea, and blood pressure, the researchers analyzed data from a large group of 63,257 Chinese people aged 45 to 74 living in Singapore.
This data was collected between 1993 and 1998 and followed up through two interviews over the next 17 years.
Participants provided details about their coffee and tea drinking habits and other lifestyle factors, which allowed the researchers to track 13,658 cases of high blood pressure that developed over an average of 9.5 years.
The study found some interesting differences in how coffee and tea might affect blood pressure risk. For coffee, people who drank three or more cups daily had a lower risk of developing high blood pressure compared to those who only drank one cup per day.
This finding suggests that regular, higher coffee intake might help lower blood pressure risk, although more research is needed to confirm this effect.
In contrast, the study found that daily tea drinkers—whether they preferred black or green tea—experienced a slightly higher risk of high blood pressure than those who drank tea less frequently.
One reason for this difference might be the effect of caffeine, as tea drinkers often consume it regularly but in smaller amounts.
The researchers also explored the effect of different levels of caffeine intake on blood pressure.
They found that people consuming the most caffeine (300 mg or more per day, roughly three cups of coffee) had a 16% higher risk of high blood pressure than those with very low caffeine intake (less than 50 mg per day).
Interestingly, drinking less than one cup of coffee per week or three or more cups daily seemed to lower blood pressure risk, suggesting that either very low or relatively high coffee intake may provide some protection against high blood pressure.
The researchers speculate that caffeine could explain the increased risk seen in daily tea drinkers and occasional coffee drinkers, who consume caffeine in smaller doses.
At higher doses, other ingredients in coffee may balance or reduce caffeine’s effects on blood pressure, offering potential heart-health benefits.
Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering both the amount and type of caffeinated drinks people consume. While coffee and tea are both popular drinks worldwide, the way people drink them may impact their blood pressure differently.
Further research will help clarify how these drinks and their ingredients interact with the body and could provide guidance for those looking to manage their blood pressure.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and vitamin D supplements strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about plant nutrient that could help reduce high blood pressure, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
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