Two Cups of Coffee Daily can Maintain Blood Pressure

Highlights:

• Coffee has a huge fan following, with over 10 million tonnes being consumed from 2020 to 2021
• A study shows that regular coffee drinkers have lower blood pressure compared to those who do not consume coffee
• The results also stand true with respect to central aortic pressure, which is the one nearest to the heart

Recent research has shown that those who drink two to three cups of coffee a day have lower blood pressure than those who drink just one cup or none at all. This applies both to peripheral and central aortic pressure, i.e. the one closest to the heart. This research was carried out by scholars of the University of Bologna and the University Hospital of Bologna - Sant'Orsola Polyclinic. The investigation analyzed the association between coffee consumption and peripheral and central blood pressure parameters in a sample of the Italian population (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Self-Reported Coffee Consumption and Central and Peripheral Blood Pressure in the Cohort of the Brisighella Heart Study

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"The results obtained show that those who regularly drink coffee have significantly lower blood pressure, both on peripheral and central levels, than those who do not drink it," explains Arrigo Cicero, professor at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences at the University of Bologna and first author of the study. "This is the first study to observe this association in the Italian population, and the data confirm the positive effect of coffee consumption on cardiovascular risk," adds Prof. Claudio Borghi, who led the study.

Who does not love a lovely cup of coffee? Makes sense why coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. It is estimated that almost 10 million tons of coffee were consumed globally in 2020 and 2021.

To investigate the effects of coffee, especially with respect to central blood pressure values, the researchers looked at a sample of 720 men and 783 women from a sub-cohort of the Brisighella Heart Study, which is an observational study coordinated by Claudio Borghi, professor at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences at the University of Bologna. Blood pressure levels and coffee consumption habits, along with a range of other clinical data, were compared for each selected individual.

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One to Three Cups of Coffee a Day Helps Lower Blood Pressure

Researchers say that the results are very clear. Peripheral blood pressure was significantly lower in individuals consuming one to three cups of coffee a day than in non-coffee drinkers. And for the first time, they were also able to confirm these effects with regard to the central aortic pressure. This is the one close to the heart, where they observed an almost identical phenomenon with entirely similar values for habitual coffee drinkers compared to non-coffee drinkers.

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Benefits of Coffee

While it was earlier feared that coffee might be harmful for the body, several benefits have long since emerged: a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain neurodegenerative and liver diseases has been observed among regular coffee drinkers. Although, it is still unclear what these benefits are due to, and they do not appear to be directly related to the effects of caffeine.

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Coffee’s Health Benefits are not all Because of Caffeine

"Caffeine is only one of the several coffee components and certainly not the only one with an active role. Positive effects on human health have indeed been recorded even among those who consume decaffeinated coffee. We know that caffeine can increase blood pressure, but other bioactive components in coffee seem to counterbalance this effect with a positive end result on blood pressure levels," says Cicero

Thus with the data provided, it can be seen that there are lower values for coffee drinkers in both systolic and pulse pressure, and in both peripheral circulation and central aortic pressure. All results confirm the positive effects of coffee in mitigating the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Reference:

1. Self-Reported Coffee Consumption and Central and Peripheral Blood Pressure in the Cohort of the Brisighella Heart Study - (https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/2/312)

Source-Medindia