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Coffee consumption, clinic, 24-hour and home blood pressure. Findings from the PAMELA study
Fosca Quarti-Trevano1, Raffaella Dell'Oro1, Jennifer Vanoli1
1Clinica Medica, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, and University Milano, Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
Insights
Chronic coffee consumption does not significantly lower blood pressure (BP) when measured outside of a clinic setting. This study found no major impact on 24-hour or home BP, or BP variability, in regular coffee drinkers.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Hypertension Research
Background:
- Previous research on chronic coffee consumption and blood pressure (BP) has yielded conflicting results.
- Most studies focused on clinic BP, with limited investigation into out-of-office BP and BP variability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between chronic coffee consumption and out-of-office BP and BP variability.
- To evaluate the impact of coffee on 24-hour ambulatory and home BP monitoring.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of 2045 subjects from the PAMELA study.
- Assessment of clinic, 24-hour ambulatory, and home BP, along with BP variability.
- Statistical adjustment for confounders including age, gender, BMI, smoking, physical activity, and alcohol intake.
Main Results:
- Chronic coffee consumption showed no significant lowering effect on 24-hour ambulatory or home BP values.
- Daytime BP was slightly higher in coffee consumers, suggesting a temporary pressor effect that diminished at night.
- Neither BP nor heart rate (HR) 24-hour variability was affected by coffee consumption.
Conclusions:
- Chronic coffee consumption does not appear to significantly lower absolute BP values, especially when measured via ambulatory or home monitoring.
- Coffee intake does not impact 24-hour BP variability.
- The findings suggest that coffee's pressor effects, if any, are transient and limited to daytime hours.
Background And Aims:
Chronic coffee consuption has been reported to be associated with a modest but significant increase in blood pressure (BP), although some recent studies have shown the opposite. These data, however, largely refer to clinic BP and virtually no study evaluated cross-sectionally the association between chronic coffee consuption, out-of-office BP and BP variability.
Methods And Results:
In 2045 subjects belonging to the population of the Pressioni Arteriose Monitorate E Loro Associazioni (PAMELA) study, we analyzed cross-sectionally the association between clinic, 24-hour, home BP and BP variability and level of chronic coffee consumption. Results show that when adjusted for confounders (age, gender, body mass index, cigarette smoking, physical activity and alcohol drinking) chronic coffee consumption does not appear to have any major lowering effect on BP values, particulary when they are assessed via 24-hour ambulatory (0 Cup/day: 118.5 ± 0.7/72.8 ± 0.4 mmHg vs 3 cups/day: 120.2 ± 0.4/74.8 ± 0.3 mmHg, PNS) or home BP monitoring (0 cup/day: 124.1 ± 1.2/75.4 ± 0.7 mmHg vs 3 cups/day: 123.3 ± 0.6/76.4 ± 0.36 mmHg, PNS). However, daytime BP was significantly higher in coffee consumers (about 2 mmHg), suggesting some pressor effects of coffee which vanish during nighttime. Both BP and HR 24-hour HR variability were unaffected.
Conclusion:
Thus chronic coffee consumption does not appear to have any major lowering effect either on absolute BP values, particulary when they are assessed via 24-hour ambulatory or home BP monitoring, or on 24-hour BP variability.
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