Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions

Coffee, Caffeine and Hypertension Risk

A study in postmenopausal women

Publish date:: December 22, 2015

Caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and caffeine are not risk factors for hypertension in postmenopausal women, according to a study of 29,985 postmenopausal women who were not hypertensive at baseline. During 112,935 person-years of follow-up, 5,566 cases of incident hypertension were reported. The study also found:

• Neither caffeinated coffee nor caffeine intake was associated with mean systolic or diastolic blood pressure.

• Decaffeinated coffee intake was associated with a small but clinically irrelevant decrease in mean diastolic blood pressure.

• Decaffeinated coffee intake was not associated with mean systolic blood pressure.

• Intakes of caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and caffeine were not associated with the risk of incident hypertension.

Citation: Rhee JJ, Qin F, Hedlin H, et al. Coffee and caffeine consumption and the risk of hypertension in postmenopausal women. [Published online ahead of print December 9, 2015]. Am J Clin Nutr. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.115.120147.

Commentary: This study presents further data to reassure us about our favorite stimulant – coffee. Coffee consumption has also been shown to be associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and fatal prostate cancer.¹ In addition, a recent article with over 4 million person-years of observations showed that compared to non-drinkers, coffee consumption of 1 to 5 cups/day was associated with lower mortality.² —Neil Skolnik, MD

1. Ding M, Bhupathiraju SN, Chen M, van Dam RM, Hu FB. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and a dose-response meta- analysis. Diabetes Care. 2014;37:569-586.

2. Ding M, Satija A, Bhupathiraju SN, et al. Association of coffee consumption with total and cause-specific mortality in 3 large prospective cohorts. Circulation. 2015;132(24):2305-2315. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.017341.

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