Men at risk for high blood pressure and those with diagnosed hypertension show greater increases in blood pressure from caffeine consumption than men with normal blood pressure.
A study conducted at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, gave over 100 subjects an average dose of 260 mg of orally administered caffeine (about 2 cups of coffee). The researchers measured blood pressure after 20 minutes of rest and again 45 to 60 minutes after caffeine consumption. Caffeine caused an increase in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in all groups, according report last week in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The study revealed that the strongest response to caffeine was observed among men who already had high blood pressure.
The research team believes that their findings indicate that future research on the effects of dietary caffeine should take into account hypertension risk status. Further, they suggest that because discrepancy in blood pressure between men and women narrows in later life, priority should also be given to postmenopausal women in regard to dietary caffeine use.
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