Taking More than 1 Cup of Coffee a Day Can Lead to a Heart Attack in Those with Hypertension

The benefits of coffee are many and have been well documented and including those for heart health. However, in people with hypertension, as little as 2 cups of coffee a day doubles the risk of cardiac death. According to this Osaka University study green tea, on the other hand, regardless of the blood pressure level in patients does not raise the risk of death. The study was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA).

Coffee

The American Heart Association currently defines hypertension as a blood pressure of 130/80 mm Hg or higher.

The blood pressure criteria used in this study are as follows:

Ideal and normal (below 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)
Grade 3 (above 180/110 mm Hg)

In the study grade, 2 and 3 blood pressure is considered severe hypertension.

Pros and cons of drinking coffee

Table of Contents

1 Pros and cons of drinking coffee
2 The Study
3 Final Thoughts
- - 3.0.1 References

Past studies have already shown that consuming a single cup of coffee a day can benefit heart attack survivors by lowering the risk of death and preventing the risk of having a repeat heart attack or stroke. Regular coffee consumption was also shown to benefit those with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Coffee may also help with appetite suppression; depression symptoms; and lethargy. In fact, the only well-documented risks of coffee are due to caffeine which when consumed in excess can raise blood pressure and cause anxiety, palpitations, and sleep insomnia. But do the protective effects of coffee also apply to people with high blood pressure?

The Study

The study, which included more than 18,600 male and female participants aged 40 to 79 years at baseline, found that consuming 2 or more cups of coffee a day was associated with twice the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease in people with severe hypertension compared with those who did not drink coffee. In fact, the study is the first to identify a link between the consumption of 2 or more cups of coffee per day and cardiovascular disease mortality in people with hypertension.

During the 19-year follow-up of the study, 842 deaths from cardiovascular disease were documented. The analysis showed that :

Consumption of 2 or more cups of coffee per day was associated with a 2-fold increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in people with a blood pressure of 160/100 mm Hg or higher than in people who did not drink coffee;
No increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease was found with a single cup of coffee, regardless of blood pressure category;
No increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes was found with the consumption of green tea, regardless of the amount consumed.

“People with severe hypertension should avoid drinking too much coffee,” say the researchers, who point out that the harmful effects of caffeine may outweigh the protective effects in this group of patients.

The benefits of green tea and the absence of adverse effects are believed to be due to the presence of polyphenols, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory micronutrients. However, further studies are needed on the possible benefits of green tea in people with hypertension. Finally, these findings regarding coffee and tea may be surprising, as both coffee and tea contain caffeine; however, coffee contains slightly more than tea: according to the US FDA, one cup of green or black tea contains 30-50 milligrams of caffeine, while one cup of coffee contains more than 80-100 milligrams.

Final Thoughts

Until more studies are done the recommendation of very moderate coffee consumption should therefore be maintained for patients with severe hypertension. Patients with severe hypertension if unable to give up coffee should consider replacing regular it with the decaffeinated type.