The Relationship Between Caffeine & Blood Pressure
The relationship between caffeine and blood pressure is not always as simple as one might expect. Caffeine is known to raise blood pressure, and therefore is assumed by some to be a potentially harmful substance. When we speak of caffeine, we sometimes talk about it as if it were a harmful and even mind-altering drug. Caffeine is a stimulant, there's no doubting that, but it is a natural stimulant, found in many plants, though it is a relatively mild stimulant.
The Good Guys - Polyphenols - On the one hand, coffee, a common source of caffeine, is considered to be beneficial to the heart and circulatory system. One the other hand, those having high blood pressure are often advised not to drink coffee or drink it only in small amounts. As it turns out, this isn't an issue involving only caffeine and blood pressure. There are some other factors involved, and those factors are compounds found in coffee called polyphenols. As it turns out, polyphenols are very beneficial, and are believed to protect us not only against heart disease, but against some types of cancer as well, especially liver cancer. What this means, is it isn't the caffeine in coffee, tea, or chocolate that benefits our heart, but the polyphenols (which are also found in some fruits and vegetables).
A Somewhat Neutral Substance - Caffeine is in a sense neither good nor bad. Most of us can ingest it without any problem. Some of us take in too much and suffer side effects, and a few are allergic to caffeine, but for the most part, caffeine is a rather harmless substance. The American Heart Association has looked into the relationship between caffeine and blood pressure extensively, and come up this several conclusions. One conclusion is, for the most of us, a cup or two of coffee a day is not at all harmful. A cup of freshly brewed coffee contains about 100 milligrams of caffeine by the way. The Association does however recommend that those suffering from high blood pressure not drink coffee, or at least drink it in smaller amounts. Caffeine does raise blood pressure, that is certain. But it only raises it for a short time, and under normal circumstances not by all that much. Of one's blood pressure reading averages 125 - 100, two cups of coffee could raise it to somewhere between 128-105 to 140 - 115, but only temporarily. For someone with dangerously high blood pressure to begin with however, such an increase could bring with it some risk. Those most at risk from taking in caffeine appear to be elderly people who have a history of high blood pressure.
Results Not Too Clear - There are some contradictory findings as far as the caffeine and blood pressure relationship is concerned. In fact, the relationship can't be said to be completely understood. Those who drink many cups of coffee a day seem no more susceptible to being affected by high blood pressure than do those who drink no coffee at all, or take in little if any caffeine from any other sources. Those at greatest risk, though the risk is small, appears to be people who drink coffee in moderation, 2 or 3 cups a day. This might be due to the fact that those who drink many cups a day have developed a tolerance of caffeine, and as such their blood pressure remains essentially unaffected over the long term. Again, 2 or 3 cups of coffee a day is not regarded as harmful by the American Heart Association.
So enjoy a cup or two of coffee with your breakfast each morning, secure in the knowledge that a temporary spike of a few millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) in both your systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels isn't any a cause for alarm.