Your Genes Play A Huge Part In Your Risk
Based on those studies alone, it appears youre in the clear to indulge every day
But its not that straight forward.
Not all the large observational studies found that regular coffee consumption is harmless. A possible reason for the inconsistent findings is that the population varies in underlying responses to caffeine.
How well we metabolise and tolerate caffeine is determined by our genes.
Individual genetic variations influence how our body reacts to external factors, especially how it reacts to the nutrients we eat. Genetic variations can influence metabolism for loads of nutrients such as alcohol , folate and folic acid , and caffeine too.
Depending on your genes, you may be a fast caffeine metaboliser or a slow one. This greatly influences how your blood pressure responds to coffee, as well as your heart disease risk .
Sadly, Im a super slow caffeine metaboliser, which is why I drink decaf.
Therefore, although caffeine only raises blood pressure short-term, those who are slow caffeine metabolisers and consume large amounts of coffee are probably at greater risk of negative cardiovascular health consequences.
In other words, if you are sensitive to caffeine and already have high blood pressure, it would be in your best interest to minimise intake or drink decaf where possible.
What Is High Blood Pressure Or Hypertension
Blood pressure is created by the force of blood pushing against artery walls as it is pumped around the body by the heart.
Two numbers are reported when blood pressure is measured. The first number is the systolic pressure – the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The second number is the diastolic pressure, which is the pressure in your arteries when your heart is at rest between beats. As mentioned above, a normal blood pressure reading is less than 120/80 mm Hg.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a consistent increase in pressure that causes the heart to pump harder and damages blood vessels. It is a primary cause of death worldwide and is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular heart disease, stroke and heart attack.
While caffeine consumption can cause a short-term increase in blood pressure, it is not generally thought to increase the risk of hypertension. Although, some research suggests that certain people could be at increased risk from cardiovascular events such as coronary heart disease or stroke because of caffeine consumption.
Caffeine Has An Immediate Short
Coffee is the most popular hot beverage in the Americas, Australia and most of Europe.
As coffee beans contain caffeine, that makes coffee our biggest source of caffeine.
Caffeine is a psychoactive drug that stimulates the release of certain hormones in the brain . This is why coffee gives us an energy kick.
Caffeine also gives a kick to our blood pressure, and is actually a well-documented pressor . Increases tend to be mild, in the range of 5 to 10 mmHg. Thats regardless of how often you drink coffee or your caffeine tolerance, although there are always rare exceptions .
Caffeine appears to have a greater pressor effect on those with elevated blood pressure compared to those with normal blood pressure. And those effects are not suppressed by the use of blood pressure lowering medications .
Coffee is sounding pretty grim right now, but caffeine only appears to elevate blood pressure for about 3 hours before the effect subsides .
So what does this mean for our health in the long run?
Summary: Drinking coffee immediately increases blood pressure, regardless of your caffeine tolerance. The effect typically only lasts for a maximum of 3 hours though.
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May Increase Blood Pressure Temporarily
Science suggests that the physiological effects of drinking coffee can extend beyond a small dose of wakefulness. Research indicates that it may increase blood pressure for a short time after consumption.
A review of 34 studies showed that 200300 mg of caffeine from coffee approximately the amount youd consume in 1.52 cups resulted in an average increase of 8 mm Hg and 6 mm Hg in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively .
This effect was observed for up to three hours after consumption, and results were similar in people with normal blood pressure at baseline and those with pre-existing high blood pressure.
Interestingly, regular coffee consumption is not associated with the same impact on blood pressure which may be due to the caffeine tolerance that develops when you habitually drink it .
Based on this data, a small to moderate increase in your blood pressure may occur after drinking a cup of coffee especially if you drink it infrequently.
Summary
Research indicates that coffee may increase blood pressure for up to three hours after consumption. However, if you drink it regularly, this effect is diminished.
How Do Alcohol Coffee And Smoking Influence Blood Pressure
Last Editorial Review: 8/8/2002
People who drink alcohol excessively have a one and ahalf to two times increase in the frequency of high blood pressure . The associationbetween alcohol and high blood pressure is particularly noticeable when thealcohol intake exceeds 5 drinks per day. Moreover, the connection is adose-related phenomenon. In other words, the more alcohol that is consumed, thestronger is the link with hypertension.
Although smoking increases the risk of vascular complications in people who already have hypertension, it is notassociated with an increase in the development of hypertension. Nevertheless,smoking a cigarette can repeatedly produce an immediate, temporary rise in theblood pressure of 5 to10 mm Hg. Steady smokers however, actually may have alower blood pressure than nonsmokers. The reason for this is that the nicotinein the cigarettes causes a decrease in appetite, which leads to weight loss.This, in turn, lowers the blood pressure.
In one study, the caffeine consumed in 5 cups of coffee daily caused a mildincrease in blood pressure in elderly people who already had hypertension, butnot in those who had normal blood pressures. Whats more, the combination ofsmoking and drinking coffee in persons with high blood pressure may increase theblood pressure more than coffee alone. Limiting caffeine intake and cigarettesmoking in hypertensive individuals, therefore, may be of some benefit incontrolling their high blood pressure.
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Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Regularly drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure over time.
Staying within the recommended levels is the best way to reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure:
- men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week
- spread your drinking over 3 days or more if you drink as much as 14 units a week
How Much Caffeine Can You Drink A Day
The FDA recommends that adults dont drink more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, the average cup of coffee contains 80 to 100 milligrams of caffeine whereas a can of caffeinated soft drink contains 30-40 milligrams. According to a review of 34 studies, caffeine may raise your blood pressure, especially if you are not a regular coffee drinker. The review found that in general, drinking anywhere between 200-300 milligrams of caffeine can raise your systolic blood pressure by 8 mm Hg while boosting your diastolic blood pressure by 6 mm Hg. The caffeine, however, will usually only raise blood pressure levels for around 3 hours.
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What Effect Does Coffee Have On Blood Pressure
Drinking coffee might raise blood pressure in short timeframes, according to scientific research. Despite this, it has not been found to increase blood pressure or risk heart disease in individuals who consume the same amount of alcohol regularly. As a result, coffee has a high antioxidant content, which may contribute to heart health.
What To Avoid To Lower Your Blood Pressure
Salt
Salt or sodium chloride has been used to preserve foods and as a flavour enhancer for centuries.
Adults need between 1.2 to 2.4g of salt each day , which is equivalent to 460 to 920mg of sodium.
But in Australia seven out of ten men and three in ten women eat way more than that and much more than the upper recommended limit of 5.9 grams of salt or 2,300 mg of sodium per day.
If you add salt to food yourself this pushes your sodium intake even higher.
A review of studies involving 3,230 people showed that reducing salt intakes by 4.4 grams a day could reduce systolic blood pressure by about 4.2 mmHg and diastolic by 2.1 mmHg.
In those who had high blood pressure there were even bigger reductions of 5.4 mmHg and 2.8 mmHg .
Avoid foods high in sodium. Dont add salt and try to choose lower-salt versions of processed foods.
Alcohol
Consuming one or more alcoholic drink a day is associated with systolic blood pressure that is about 2.7 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure 1.4 mmHg higher than non-drinkers.
Interestingly, when you first drink an alcoholic beverage, blood pressure goes down, only to rise later.
A rise in blood pressure after drinking alcohol is more likely to happen when youre awake, rather during sleep.
The bad news is that larger amounts of alcohol increase your risk of high blood pressure, especially in men, but also to a lesser extent in women.
Liquorice
High blood pressure due to eating black liquorice is rare, but case reports have occurred.
Caffeine
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What Is Caffeine And How Does It Affect Health
Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in the leaves, berries, and nuts of certain plants.
Caffeine is most frequently consumed as tea or coffee products, and some have concluded that these beverages are the most widely consumed foods worldwide.
The average caffeine content of a brewed cup of coffee is 95 mg.
Since caffeine is ubiquitous in all human cultures, broad research has been done to determine the health effects of caffeine.
Caffeine-blood pressure links, as well as relationships between caffeine and heart disease, have been exclusively active fields of study.
Is It Okay To Have Caffeine During Pregnancy
Some studies show an association between high doses of caffeine and an increased rate of miscarriages, premature deliveries or low birth weights. However, complicating factors such as smoking and alcohol use were not accounted for in these studies. In very high doses, caffeine can affect fetal breathing and heart rate. One 8-oz cup of coffee per day during pregnancy is generally considered safe.
If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, please discuss caffeine intake with your clinician.
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How Much Does Coffee Raise Your Blood Pressure
The caffeine-lowering effects of coffee A mean increase of 8 mg of caffeine is recorded when consuming 400-450 mg of coffee per cup. For systolic blood pressure, take 1.5 mmHg and for diastolic blood pressure, take 5 mmHg. The systolic blood pressure is measured at 7mmHg with a diastolic blood pressure of 7mmHg. In about 3 to 4 hours, everything normalises after a temporary lowering of blood pressure.
What Does Caffeine Do To Your Blood Pressure
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This is perhaps one of the common questions among java lovers and coffee noobs alike.
Many people know the effects of caffeine on the body. Some of them are positive, like added concentration and stronger mental performance, alertness and awake-ness, healthy glowing skin, boost in metabolism, and a happy disposition.
But going overboard with your caffeine fix could sometimes lead to adverse effects, including jitters, anxiety, and palpitations.
And this leads some people to ask whether caffeine also raises blood pressure.
This is an important question because 80 percent of Americans drink coffee every day and about 90 percent of people worldwide consume caffeine in one product or another. More importantly, high blood pressure can cause strokes or heart attacks.
So whats the verdict?
The jurys pretty much out on this one.
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How To Drink Less Coffee
There are various ways to drink less caffeine without having to give up coffee completely.
One thing to keep in mind though is that its best to reduce the amount of caffeine youre getting gradually as a sudden drop in can give you mild withdrawal symptoms like headaches. Heres what you can do:
Drink coffee thats lower in caffeine
As well as simply drinking less cups of coffee, you can also lower your caffeine intake by switching to a lower-caffeine kind of coffee if you really cant bear to drink decaf!
In general, espresso coffees contain less caffeine than brewed/filter coffee, and coffee made from Arabica coffee beans contains half the caffeine of coffee made from robusta beans.
A good way to control your caffeine levels is to make your own coffee. Experiment with different flavours and methods to see what you like, and take the time to make a really good coffee that youll really relish and enjoy quality rather than quantity and with less caffeine!
NOTE: Theres a very informative article on the caffeine content of different types of coffee here: High Caffeine Coffee Which Coffee is the Strongest?
Drink tea instead of coffee
You can also wholly or partially replace coffee with other less-caffeinated drinks like black tea and green tea. Remember that these still contain caffeine, though much less than coffee, so remember to factor in their caffeine content when figuring out how to stay under your daily caffeine limit.
Drink herbal teas and cordials
How Much Is Too Much Caffeine
People are debating this currently, but less than 6 cups of coffee a day should be safe. If you drink more than that long term, you might be at higher risk for heart disease.
You may have heard some media outlets saying recently that its safe to drink as much as 25 cups of coffee a day. Thats an exaggeration. The study theyve been referring to didnt actually look at people who drank more than 25 cups of coffee per day. In fact, most of the people in the heavy coffee drinker category reported only drinking 5 cups a day. Also, the study measured blood pressure, heart rate, and blood vessel stiffnessnot whether patients developed heart disease. We also dont know how long patients in the study stuck to their reported caffeine consumption.
So, as we mentioned, 6 cups a day or less is generally fine. Really, the biggest health concern lies in how you prepare your drink. The sugar and cream that many people like to add to coffee and tea can come with far more health risks than caffeine itself. Those extra calories have no benefits and can raise your risk for diabetes and heart disease over time.
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High Blood Pressure And Coffee
Now, let me say a word about coffee and people with high blood pressure. Should you drink coffee if you have high blood pressure?
Of course, you can drink coffee if you have high blood pressure. But you need to be careful.
Heres why?
When your blood pressure rises with coffee use, the effect is not responsive to high blood pressure medications. It is a sustained effect that is not easily reversed with high blood pressure pills.
Secondly, the effect of coffee or caffeine on people with high blood pressure is much more dramatic compared to people without high blood pressure .
So, whereas, you may have a rise of 6 mmHg systolic in someone without high blood pressure, you who has high blood pressure may experience a systolic rise of 12 mmHg or higher.
Now remember, I said earlier on that BP increase with coffee does last up to 3 hours. Imagine, if you are one of those people who drinks several cups of coffee a day.
Imagine a situation where youre constantly topping up your coffee fix when you are experiencing a caffeine crash every 4 hours or so. What do you think will happen?
Your elevated blood pressure reading will be sustained. Because whenever your blood pressure is beginning to settle, you spike it again with your top-up coffee.
Can you see how you can sabotage your blood pressure control efforts by your coffee drinking habits?
Heres something else
Everyone is different when it comes to coffee and blood pressure. How?
Which one are you?
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Which Fruit Is Good For High Blood Pressure
1. Citrus fruits. Citrus fruits, including grapefruit, oranges, and lemons, may have powerful blood-pressure-lowering effects. They’re loaded with vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds that may help keep your heart healthy by reducing heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure .
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An Alternative Is Hibiscus Tea For Blood Pressure
A quick recap: Youre now aware that Coffee can cause high blood pressure. However, its effects appear to be limited to a matter of hours. You know, too, that Decaffeinated Coffee for blood pressure has a similar influence, indicating that caffeine isnt the only chemical compound to blame – if at all. The bottom line is that Coffee, no matter the type, has a short-term ability to increase blood pressure.
The alternative infusion of choice doesnt derive from beans, nor even Tea leaves in the conventional sense, but Hibiscus Flowers. When brewed, Hibiscus Tea Benefits goes beyond maintaining blood pressure and, in fact, lowers it. A 2008 study has the details. It showed that three cups of the Herbal Tea a day could make a small yet significant difference to your cardiovascular health.
Sixty-five volunteers aged between 30 to 70 – all of whom were considered at-risk from high blood pressure – were split into two groups. The first group consumed Hibiscus Tea three times daily, while the second group received a placebo. Six weeks later, the first group showed an average decrease of 7.2% in blood pressure, with some recording a 13.2% fall. The placebo group, in comparison, had a 1.3% drop.