Coffee Not Linked to High Blood Pressure

Coffee drinkers have reason to celebrate. A new study has found that drinking coffee does not increase the risk of high blood pressure. The study findings were published in the March 2011 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Previous studies have suggested that coffee consumption may increase the risk of high blood pressure, which has been linked to heart disease, stroke and shorter life expectancy. Researchers at the Louisiana State University School of Public Health wanted to determine if this association was valid.

The researchers pooled data from six previous studies that included over 170,000 participants. Participants in each study answered questionnaires asking about daily coffee consumption, ranging from less than one to more than five. They were then followed for an average of 33 years.

An analysis of the results of these studies found that the risk of being diagnosed with high blood pressure was no different for participants who drank five cups or more per day and those who drank very little.

The researchers noted that the findings do not mean there is no risk associated with drinking coffee, and plan to look at more data in order to verify their findings.

Previous studies have linked coffee to various health benefits, including reducing the risk of type-2 diabetes, Parkinson’s and dementia.