Coffee is a beverage that has been around for many years. Perhaps the most familiar drink in America, coffee comes in the familiar mug first thing in the morning, in a Starbucks or Dutch Brothers carryout cup for a mid-morning pick-up and in a tiny demitasse cup after dinner. We forget that coffee can affect our health, and that includes blood pressure.
Is Coffee Just About the Caffeine?
Coffee is synonymous with caffeine for many people, but Dr. Rob van Dam, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health who has studied coffee extensively, says that it contains hundreds of compounds besides caffeine. Because coffee is so complex, says van Dam, it can act in different ways in the body; caffeine may be stimulating, but other compounds can have a calming effect. But it is clear, Van Dam says, that the caffeine in coffee can raise blood pressure.
Coffee and Blood Pressure
Rob van Dam has found that when people who are not coffee drinkers start to use caffeine, the blood pressure goes up "substantially." The blood pressure does not continue to rise over time but does tend to be a little higher overall if caffeine use continues. Another researcher, Dr. James Lane of the Duke University Medical Center, is a psychophysiologist who has been studying the effects of caffeine for over 25 years. Lane says drinking caffeine at breakfast and lunch elevates blood pressure; it stays elevated until about 10 p.m.
Coffee is Not for Everyone
Both van Dam and Lane have found that people are very individual in the way they respond to coffee. They say the research indicates a slight risk of hypertension for coffee drinkers, but neither feels the risk is so high that coffee should automatically be a no-no. But they caution that if you are having trouble getting your blood pressure under control, you might want to stop coffee entirely for a while to see if there is an effect. Habitual users may have some withdrawal symptoms such as headache for a few days if coffee intake is stopped abruptly, so you might want to cut down gradually over a period of several days. Try changing to half decaffeinated in each cup for a day or two, then a quarter decaf. At that point, you may be able to just switch to decaf entirely without symptoms of withdrawal.
Considerations and Warnings
Remember that high blood pressure can cause stroke or other serious medical problems. Talk to a health care professional if you think you have high blood pressure or have questions or concerns.
