Coffee and Blood Pressure

How your morning coffee may be impacting your blood pressure

By Dr. Liza Klassen, ND | Last updated October 2022 | Reviewed by Dr. Kelly Clinning ND

Coffee and Blood Pressure |Measuring your Blood Pressure and Coffee / Coffee and PreCardix®

Do you reach for a steaming cup of coffee first thing in the morning? You’re not alone! Coffee is the most widely consumed stimulant beverage in the world and is enjoyed by around 90% of North American adults¹. While there are mixed messages about coffee and its impact on your health, it’s widely accepted that around 400mg of caffeine/day (2-3 cups of coffee) is safe for most people¹. But that doesn’t mean coffee and caffeinated beverages in general don’t have an impact on your blood pressure.

Coffee’s Impact on Blood Pressure

If you are a non-habitual coffee drinker, or a casual coffee drinker, we know that the occasional coffee causes a temporary increase in blood pressure levels². Meaning that after consuming coffee blood pressure will be elevated for a period of time and then return to baseline. Interestingly, this phenomenon is not seen in healthy people who drink coffee regularly².

However, if you already have hypertension, consuming coffee causes an increase in blood pressure for around 3 hours before it returns to baseline³. For every 200-300mg (about 2 cups of coffee) of caffeine consumed, an average increase of 8 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 5 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure is observed³.

While coffee can cause a transient increase in blood pressure due to its vasoconstrictor effects, it likely does not increase the actual risk of developing hypertension. Research currently does not support an association between long term or habitual coffee consumption and increased risk of hypertension or other cardiovascular disease³.

Measuring your Blood Pressure and Coffee

We know that blood pressure fluctuates over the course of the day, and it is recommended that you monitor your blood pressure at the same time for most reliable results. Consistency is important but so is how you take it, sitting down, using a validated blood pressure cuff, in a calming space and before consuming a caffeinated beverage.

Remember that coffee and caffeine in general causes a transient increase in blood pressure in both healthy non-habitual drinkers and those with hypertension that can persist for up to 3 hours. So, make sure you’ve taken your blood pressure before you reach for that first cup of coffee (or tea!).

Coffee and PreCardix^®

It is well known that coffee (and black tea) contains something called tannins. Tannins are strong binders and decrease the absorption of multiple drugs and nutrients¹. We also know that other compounds in coffee change the pH of the stomach (or how acidic it is), the rate of absorption and transit through the gut and how quickly other substances are metabolized at the liver¹. All of these factors make coffee a common interaction for drug absorption and efficacy. Because of this it is frequently recommended that medication be taken 1-2 hours away from coffee, and PreCardix^® is no exception.

It’s recommended that PreCardix^® be taken daily before noon, a few hours before or after other medications, natural health products, or food, including all caffeinated beverages! This is consistent with how it was studied in the peer-reviewed clinical trials where 1200 mg (2 tablets of PreCardix^® taken together) of bioactive marine peptides showed a statistically significant effect on blood pressure health.

To learn more about PreCardix^®, refer to the product information and directions, and feel free to also share the product monograph with your healthcare provider.

Important Information

Always consult with your health care provider before making changes to your blood pressure management plan. PreCardix^® does not treat, cure or prevent medical conditions. Measure and monitor blood pressure regularly. Know the signs of heart attack and stroke. Do not take PreCardix^® if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have renal artery stenosis, history of angioneurotic edema or shellfish allergy.

References

Belayneh A, Molla F. The Effect of Coffee on Pharmacokinetic Properties of Drugs: A Review. Biomed Res Int. 2020;2020:7909703. Published 2020 Jul 24. doi:10.1155/2020/7909703
Zimmermann-Viehoff F, Thayer J, Koenig J, Herrmann C, Weber CS, Deter HC. Short-term effects of espresso coffee on heart rate variability and blood pressure in habitual and non-habitual coffee consumers–a randomized crossover study. Nutr Neurosci. 2016;19(4):169-175.
Mesas AE, Leon-Muñoz LM, Rodriguez-Artalejo F, Lopez-Garcia E. The effect of coffee on blood pressure and cardiovascular disease in hypertensive individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;94(4):1113-1126. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.016667