Caffeine and Blood Pressure:
The Mysterious Connection

I take a little caffeine occasionally, so the caffeine and blood pressure connection does concern me. Should caffeine be part of my normal blood pressure diet? Let's answer that question.

Do you think there's a relationship between coffee and high blood pressure?

If caffeine is one of the hypertension causes, should you avoid it at all costs?

We want normal blood pressure, right?

So, does how to lower blood pressure include avoiding caffeine?

Caffeine is a self limiting mild stimulant found naturally in some berries, nuts and plant leaves. Some of the most common products from these are coffee, tea and chocolate.

Caffeine laced drinks are popular, too.

Caffeine is self limiting in that it stimulates the kidneys to excrete it.

Natural caffeine occurs along with beneficial antioxidants and polyphenols. These compounds protect the heart and blood vessels in various ways.

For instance, polyphenols can prevent platelet formation in the blood, perhaps thereby preventing resistance to blood flow and, thus, reducing high blood pressure.

Caffeine's self limiting nature and the co-presence of heart healthy antioxidants and polyphenols may explain why the relationship between coffee and high blood pressure, for instance, isn't clear.

I have concluded that caffeine is one of the hypertension causes, but that natural caffeine drinks may not be.

Let's look at the results of a few experiments.

The investigators administered the caffeine by pill. Although they claimed this amount of caffeine was equivalent to three cups of coffee, it was not the same due to coffee containing other beneficial food values.

In another study, involving 155,000 women for over 12 years, those who drank caffeinated colas may have had a tendency toward higher blood pressure.

However, those women who drank coffee may not have had any tendency toward hypertension.

I think I've got this nailed: Coffee, tea and chocolate drinks may be okay for your diet, but caffeine by itself or in colas may not be.

Let's go out on a limb regarding caffeine and blood pressure:

Natural caffeine containing drinks like coffee, tea and hot chocolate do not necessarily effect blood pressure.

In fact, evidence exists that these drinks are beneficial.

Any high blood pressure effect would be temporary at worst.

If in doubt, and you are a caffeine drinker, make this test:

Take your blood pressure for several days to get an average. Slowly eliminate caffeine from your diet (sudden elimination could cause headaches). After several days on no caffeine, take your blood pressure for several days and average it.

Compare the two and make up your own mind.

Caffeine drinks may have nothing to do with your deviation from normal blood pressure.

I think there are far more important hypertension causes. Caffeine and blood pressure is probably little to worry about.

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