Hypertension and coffee: can you drink it and what can you replace it with?

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Should you give up your favorite drink if your blood pressure is constantly fluctuating? This question worries many coffee lovers. Especially those who suffer from hypertension. Coffee has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system (CNS) and stimulates blood circulation, so it can be harmful for hypertensive patients, but doctors are in no hurry to categorically prohibit it.

How does caffeine work for hypertension?

Before prescribing a “coffee diet,” doctors recommend figuring out how often a person drinks this drink during the day? Is there a habit to it? Have you noticed an increased reaction, for example, nausea, increased blood pressure? If a hypertensive person was not a passionate coffee drinker, then the effect of caffeine on the body can be pronounced, manifested in a surge in pressure, which will have a bad effect on the functioning of the heart muscle and lead to poor health in general. If you can’t imagine your life without this drink, and your body is used to it, then you can simply reduce the daily dose.

In addition, according to researchers, abruptly giving up coffee can cause much worse consequences than gradually reducing its consumption.

A study was conducted in France where they studied the lives of almost two hundred thousand volunteers from 16 to 90 years old for ten years. Scientists have come to the conclusion: lovers of moderate coffee consumption (no more than three hundred milliliters per day) were generally healthier than those who refused the drink or turned to it extremely rarely. It should be noted that among the amateur volunteers, there were significantly fewer people suffering from high blood pressure than among those who refused coffee.

The Greeks conducted their experiment. The subjects were five hundred people suffering from hypertension aged 65 to 99 years. Those who drank more than one hundred and fifty milliliters of coffee daily had more elastic blood vessels - unlike volunteers who did not drink coffee or who exceeded the daily norm.

Scientist Georges Debry found that small doses of caffeine are not able to stimulate the onset of myocardial infarction, which usually frightens hypertensive patients. He also found out that:

• drinking coffee in itself does not stimulate the development of hypertension;
• “overdose” leads to leaching of calcium from the body and disrupts the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Moderate consumption normalizes the functioning of blood vessels and increases their elasticity.

The norm for a healthy adult is no more than four cups of drink per day. Hypertensive patients can drink a maximum of two mugs if the body reacts well.

How an invigorating drink can affect blood pressure

The caffeine contained in the drink can have a slight stimulating effect on the central nervous system, activating the functioning of the cerebral cortex and the motor function of the body. Let's consider whether these beneficial properties of coffee can provoke an increase in both arterial and intracranial pressure.

What will happen to the arterial blood: will it increase or decrease?

There is no consensus among doctors about whether coffee increases blood pressure or not. Some experts believe that when the nervous system is excited under the influence of caffeine, vascular spasm occurs, and this automatically provokes an increase in blood pressure. Why is this happening? Caffeine, entering the body, blocks receptors sensitive to adenosine, as a result of which the substance that ensures the maintenance of the required lumen of the arteries does not work, and the vessels spasm. And the narrower the bloodstream, the stronger the fluid pressure in it.

In addition, caffeine activates the synthesis of adrenaline and cortisol in the adrenal glands, which leads to an increase in blood pressure levels. According to cardiologists, two to three cups of the drink can lead to an increase in blood pressure by 4-14 mmHg. As a rule, this happens in cases where a person does not have the habit of regularly drinking coffee. “Coffee lovers” develop a certain addiction to caffeine, and the body no longer reacts to it so sharply, although it is enough to lose a sense of proportion regarding the amount of drink consumed to get a negative result.

Moreover, each body reacts to caffeine individually. If a healthy person drinks coffee, blood pressure levels do not change noticeably. In hypertensive patients, a different picture is observed: the drink, when consumed once, can provoke a hypertensive crisis, and when consumed continuously, it has virtually no effect on changes in blood pressure. It is curious that 12–15% of black coffee drinkers even experience a slight drop in blood pressure.

A cup of natural coffee is a great start to the day for a healthy person

In order to determine how much coffee affects your blood pressure, you can regularly measure your blood pressure with a tonometer for several days half an hour before and half an hour after drinking the drink. If the difference in readings is 7–10 mmHg

Art., you should be careful with coffee and other drinks containing caffeine. If the increase in blood pressure is not critical, drinking one or two cups per day is allowed.

A good solution is to replace regular coffee with decaffeinated coffee.

By measuring your blood pressure before and after drinking coffee, you can determine how the drink affects you

In addition to the possible negative effect on hypertensive patients, coffee can also provoke attacks of tachycardia in some patients. For such people, it is better to give up the drink or switch to coffee that does not contain caffeine.

Can it lower intracranial

The reasons for increased intracranial pressure are of a completely different nature than those that provoke the development of arterial hypertension. The main factor in this case is not pathologies of the cardiovascular system, but a violation of the outflow/circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid, which can lead to:

brain injuries; hematomas; aneurysms; neoplasms (benign and malignant); meningitis; encephalitis.

Neurologists for traumatic, infectious and vascular lesions of the brain, on the contrary, recommend that patients drink coffee, which lowers intracranial pressure. This is due to the stimulating effect of caffeine on the cerebral cortex and the vasoconstrictor effect of ergotamine, which is part of the drink. Thus, coffee is beneficial for increased intracranial pressure.

Coffee normalizes the activity of the central nervous system, which is useful for increased intracranial pressure

Effects of caffeine on people with hypertension

Hypertensive patients can be divided into groups: the first is not ready to give up an invigorating drink, the second turns to it infrequently. The first part does not notice any changes in the body when consuming up to 3 cups of coffee per day. That is, caffeine ceases to be a stimulant, and a person develops a kind of “immune system” to it. And, on the contrary, the second group just notices the consequences of coffee drinking - a rush of blood, an increase in heart rate, a jump in blood pressure. Interestingly, the rate at which caffeine is broken down is inherited. The type of central nervous system and possible diseases of the body influence how quickly and how well the drink is absorbed.

Doctors note that it is important not so much to stop drinking coffee as to monitor the conditions under which this occurs. Factors that will likely worsen the condition of a hypertensive patient when drinking coffee:

• unventilated room, stuffy;
• heat, direct sunlight;
• exercise before or after;
• stress;
• complicated diseases.

Under such circumstances, you should avoid drinking coffee, because health comes first. Too much in this matter is also harmful.

What determines caffeine tolerance:

1. Heredity.
2. Individual tolerance.
3. Use of medications.

If hypertension is diagnosed, medical consultation will be necessary. Only they will tell you whether the patient can drink coffee and in what quantity.

conclusions

1. 2-3 cups of coffee a day does not cause hypertension, but more can accelerate its manifestation.
2. Those with hypertension who regularly drink coffee are less affected by caffeine than those who drink it only occasionally.
3. In old age, you should not give up your favorite drink, and 1-2 cups a day will help maintain healthy blood vessels.
4. All types of coffee, except decaffeinated, have almost the same effect on increasing blood pressure.
5. Do not drink coffee on an empty stomach, and it is better to choose weak coffee, diluted with milk or water.

What kind of coffee can you drink if you have hypertension?

Experts advise drinking coffee before, after, or while walking. Then it will not have a harmful effect. What is the best food for people with high blood pressure?

Coffee with milk

If you want to somehow neutralize the power of caffeine, you can dilute it with milk. In addition, for hypertension, it is advisable to avoid very hot liquids, as this promotes vasospasm, which causes blood pressure to rise and milk to lower the temperature.

Green coffee

It is perfectly absorbed by the body; it does not contain as much caffeine as black coffee. In addition, it fights cholesterol plaques, which increase blood pressure.

Green coffee is the one whose beans have not been subjected to heat treatment, i.e. were not fried. They retain their natural dark green color.

Decaffeinated coffee

It’s better not to count too much on this option. There is no technology that can extract the caffeine alkaloid from beans. Therefore, it is better to choose chicory or instant product.

Instant coffee

It is also called sublimated. This type is suitable for hypertensive patients who have not been able to give up the passionate habit of an invigorating cup at any time of the day. Instant coffee beans have fewer harmful substances. But it’s better to give up tea.

As you know - and this is a proven medical fact - with low blood pressure, it is coffee that can equalize its level. In this option, you need to use ground coffee or brew it yourself from whole beans. But no more than three cups during the day, even if the pressure does not rise above normal. For people with hypertension, this is more than enough to maintain good health. An overdose will threaten the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Since the drink is addictive, it will soon cease to have the desired effect on the body, and more and more cups will be needed to equalize the pressure. To avoid such dependence, you must strictly adhere to the daily norm.

Coffee substitutes

People who are intolerant to caffeine can use gentler options. Mate and matcha contain caffeine, but in very small doses. Ginger and nettle are decaf alternatives to coffee.

Instant coffee?

Contrary to popular misconceptions, instant coffee is a harmful substitute. According to Spanish studies, it increases the risk of developing bladder and prostate cancer. However, current research suggests that there is a dose-response relationship between coffee consumption and bladder cancer.

Instant coffee reduces the absorption of iron in the intestines more than filtered coffee. One study found that 1 cup reduced iron absorption from 5.88% to 0.97%. It has also been estimated that when the strength of instant coffee is doubled, intestinal iron absorption drops to 0.53%. It is clear, however, that drinking instant coffee 1 hour before meals does not reduce iron absorption.

According to an FDA study, prepared instant coffee has acrylamide levels of 3-7 ppb, which are slightly higher than normal. It is not recommended to substitute real coffee for safety reasons.

Mate

Mate tea is a caffeine-containing shrub that grows in some countries in South America. The main difference from classic coffee is the slower increase in caffeine concentration in the blood. Tea is better for the stomach. The awakening effect depends on the cooking time. With a little honey or sugar, this can be a tasty drink replacement.

Matcha

Matcha is a concentrate of whole tea leaves of the Matcha plant. Matcha tea is considered a strong psychostimulant. The taste of matcha is slightly bitter or tart. Its aromas are of a varied nature. In any case, it can be described as a highly aromatic product. It is recommended to use the product no more than 3 times a day.

Matcha is a possible coffee substitute for hypertension

Nettle

Nettle is an ancient herbal remedy that, as a tea, is quite suitable as a complete replacement for coffee. Nettle is used for health in many ways, and is recommended as an infusion for exhaustion, depression and fatigue conditions.

However, nettle tea is not like coffee because its psychostimulant effect is noticeable in the long term. The long-term effect of nettle is to reduce the intensity of depression and anxiety disorders. A stimulating effect is noted only if there is a history of depression.

Recommendations for hypertensive patients

Drinking coffee in moderation can help normalize metabolism and improve memory. In addition, the risk of cancer, diabetes, and gallstone disease is reduced. A psychologically invigorating drink helps avoid depression. Exceeding the norm has a bad effect on the central nervous system, causes fatigue, and interferes with the absorption of vitamins and microelements. You should not consume coffee beans if you are going to do:

• sports;
• weightlifting;
• physical labor.

If you want to quit the habit, you can do it gradually, just like with smoking. First reduce the amount, then stop taking it altogether. It’s so easy to avoid headaches associated with the brain’s desire to get an energy boost.

Do you feel worse after drinking coffee?

Yes

No

Doctors recommend following several important rules:

1. Do not drink coffee before going to bed, immediately after sleep, and do not drink it on an empty stomach.
2. Allow yourself no more than one or two cups.
3. Avoid strong drinks. Dilute it with milk or water.

You should stop drinking coffee immediately if you experience the following symptoms:

1. Heart pain.
2. Dyspnea.
3. Dizziness.
4. Headache.
5. Nausea.

What positive effects can coffee have?

1. Increased vitality.
2. Activation of mental activity.
3. Energy charge.
4. Stimulation of intestinal function.
5. Improving potency.
6. Protection against caries.
7. Losing weight.

Of course, this is not a cure. The effect is short-lived and should not be relied upon too seriously. But if drinking is more pleasant than not drinking, then why not give yourself pleasure? The main thing is to prevent addiction.