A new study has found that people with high blood pressure (hypertension) who drink more coffee are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease.
The study, published Dec. 21 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that people with blood pressure of 160/100 or higher who drank two or more cups of coffee had lower blood pressure than non-coffee drinkers. Twice as likely to die from heart disease.
Study author Dr. Masayuki Teramoto, from Japan’s Osaka University and the US University of California San Francisco, said the researchers were surprised to see that heavy coffee consumption by people with severe hypertension. The association was with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease. But those who did not have hypertension or had stage 1 hypertension did not have these risks.
In contrast, green tea consumption was not associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in people with any level of blood pressure, they said.
Why does green tea not harm the heart? In response to this question, the researchers said that polyphenols with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties may be responsible for the benefits found in green tea.
The beneficial effects of green tea may partially explain why only coffee consumption is associated with an increased risk of death in people with severe hypertension, Dr. Teramoto said, while coffee and Both green tea contains caffeine.
He clarified that this analysis is based on observation, so cause and effect cannot be conclusively proved. But this research does document that people with severe hypertension should avoid heavy coffee consumption.
