How much coffee can you drink per day if you have hypertension?

According to a recent study, drinking two or more cups of coffee per day was associated with a doubling the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in people with blood pressure of 160/100 mmHg.

One in three adults has high blood pressure, but only half know it. Drinking two or more cups of coffee per day may double the risk of cardiac death in people with severe blood pressure (160/100 mmHg or higher), according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

To reach this conclusion, experts surveyed 18,600 people in Japan, and all participants provided information regarding their diet, lifestyle, health, etc.

“Our study aimed to determine whether the known protective effect of coffee extended to people with varying degrees of hypertension; and also studied the effect of green tea on the same population,” explained study coordinator Hiroyasu Iso, quoted medisite.fr.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to find an association between drinking 2 or more cups of coffee per day and cardiovascular mortality in people with severe hypertension.” Among the participants, some were taking antihypertensive medications, and the results were adjusted for this information.

Hypertensive patients should only drink one coffee per day.

Compared with non-coffee drinkers, drinking two (or more) cups of coffee per day was associated with a doubling the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in people with severe high blood pressure.

“These results may support the claim that people with severe hypertension should avoid drinking too much coffee. Because people with severe hypertension are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine, the harmful effects of caffeine may outweigh its protective effects and increase the risk of death,” explains Hiroyasu Iso.

The good news is that one cup of coffee does not increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in any blood pressure category. The study also found that green tea did not increase the risk of mortality regardless of blood pressure levels, although both drinks contain caffeine.