High blood pressure: Drinking more than four cups of coffee a day may raise your reading

Chris Evans reveals his wife gave him a blood pressure monitor

When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters.Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer.Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights.You can unsubscribe at any time.

High blood pressure is a common condition whereby the force of blood pushing against your artery walls is consistently too high. This pressure gradually causes your arteries to harden and narrow, which means the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body. This mechanism can raise your risk of having a heart attack. Drinking too much coffee in a day may raise your blood pressure and worsen the condition.

Drinking more than four cups of coffee a day may increase your blood pressure, said the NHS.

The health body continued: “If you’re a big fan of coffee, tea or other caffeine-rich drinks, such as cola and some energy drinks, consider cutting down.

“It’s fine to drink tea and coffee as part of a balanced diet, but it’s important that these drinks are not your main or only source of fluid.”

Research indicates that drinking too much coffee may increase blood pressure for a short time after consumption.

A review of 34 studies showed that 200 to 300 mg of caffeine from coffee which is approximately the amount two cups and more resulted in an average increase of 8 mm Hg and 6 mm Hg in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively.

This effect was observed for up to three hours after consumption, and results were similar in people with normal blood pressure at baseline and those with pre-existing high blood pressure.

DON’T MISS
REVEALED: Who ACTUALLY paid for the AztraZeneca vaccine [INSIGHT]
How much AstraZeneca vaccine is made in the UK? [INSIGHT]
High blood pressure: Foods to avoid [ADVICE]

Interestingly, regular coffee consumption is not associated with the same impact on blood pressure which may be due to the caffeine tolerance that develops when you habitually drink it.

Health experts note a small to moderate increase in your blood pressure may occur after drinking a cup of coffee especially if you drink it infrequently.

Some researchers believe that caffeine could block a hormone that helps keep your arteries widened.

Coffee contains multiple bioactive compounds that are known to have strong antioxidant effects and may reduce oxidative stress in your body.

The association between coffee and high blood pressure is a little bit of a grey area among health professionals.

It’s true that coffee can cause a temporary but noticeable spike in your blood pressure levels, even if you don’t suffer from high blood pressure.

The research is still unclear, but according to Harvard Health, it is proven that coffee raises blood pressure in people who are not used to it, but not in regular coffee drinkers.

If you have high blood pressure, ask your doctor whether you should limit or stop drinking caffeinated beverages.

If you’re concerned about caffeine’s effect on your blood pressure, try limiting the amount of caffeine you drink to 200 milligrams a day which is about the same amount as is generally in two 8-ounce (237 millilitres) cups of brewed coffee.

Keep in mind that the amount of caffeine in coffee and other beverages varies by brand and method of preparation.

Source: Read Full Article