Those with high blood pressure may want to skip their morning cup of coffee, according to researchers in London.
A research team from Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute has recently published findings that show coffee could negatively affect diagnosis and treatment for high blood pressure.
The study shows that consuming coffee and the calcium channel blocker felodipine, led to elevated blood pressure compared to felodipine alone, likely by blocking the beneficial effect of the drug at blood vessels. Calcium channel blockers relax and widen blood vessels, making it easier for blood to flow and lower blood pressure.
“If you are an occasional coffee consumer and you have a cup of coffee twice or less a week, you have this risk of increased blood pressure which can be substantial in certain individuals,” says Dr. David Bailey, Lawson scientist and researcher at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, in a media release.
In the past, studies have shown that coffee didn't have much effect on blood pressure for those who drink it on a regular basis because of tolerance development. However, the study shows that refraining from drinking coffee for two days is enough time to eliminate caffeine from the body and to increase blood pressure when coffee is once again consumed.
Just one cup of coffee caused the maximum increase in blood pressure and it occurred by one hour after intake and lasted for several hours.
Bailey says hopes the new study will help inform and encourage further studies about issues associated with occasional coffee consumption.
“We want to raise awareness about the potential risks for the high number of people who are occasional coffee drinkers,” he says.
Phase 1 of the study was funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and published in the American Journal of Hypertension.
