We’ve talked in our previous blog post about the best time to drink coffee and how our favourite beverage is often the subject of conflicting studies, constantly alternating between the good and the bad effects of drinking coffee. In this article, we are bringing you the good part: academic scientists from Italy have discovered that coffee helps lower blood pressure! And if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that the Italians know coffee, right?
The Italian Studies
According to the studies, people who drink two or three cups of coffee a day have lower blood pressure than those who drink only one or none at all. This applies to both peripheral and central aortic pressure, that is, the one closest to the heart. This is the first study to observe this association in the Italian population, and the data confirm the positive effect of coffee consumption on cardiovascular risk.
This result was demonstrated by a research published in the Nutrients academic journal, carried out by scientists from the University of Bologna and the University Hospital of Bologna-Policlinico Sant'Orsola. The study analysed the association between coffee consumption and central and peripheral blood pressure parameters in a sample of the Italian population.
The Health Benefits of Coffee
It is estimated that almost 10 million tons of coffee were consumed worldwide in 2020 and 2021. Despite fears about its negative health consequences, research has long supported the contrary. A lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain neurodegenerative and liver diseases has been observed among regular coffee drinkers. However, it is not yet clear what accounts for these benefits as they do not appear to be directly related to the effects of caffeine.
The researchers stressed that caffeine is only one of several components in coffee, and certainly not the only one with an active role. In fact, coffee’s positive effects on human health have been reported even among those who consume decaffeinated coffee. It’s also been observed that while caffeine can increase blood pressure, other bioactive components in coffee seem to counteract this effect with a positive end result on blood pressure levels.
The Research Parameters
To investigate these effects, especially with regard to central blood pressure values, the academics looked at a sample of 720 men and 783 women from a subcohort of the Brisighella Heart Study, which is an observational study coordinated by a professor at University of Bologna's Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences. Blood pressure levels and coffee drinking habits, along with a variety of other clinical data, were compared for each selected individual.
Study Results
The results showed that peripheral blood pressure was significantly lower in people who drank one to three cups of coffee a day than in those who did not drink coffee. Not only that, for the first time, the researchers were also able to confirm these effects with respect to central aortic pressure, the one close to the heart, where they observed an almost identical phenomenon with completely similar values for regular coffee drinkers compared to non-coffee drinkers.
In addition, the data show lower values for coffee drinkers both in systolic and pulse pressure, and in both peripheral circulation and central aortic pressure. All the results confirm the positive effects of coffee in mitigating the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
So there you have it; you can now confidently drink that third cup of coffee of the day because, hey, the Italian scientists said so.
If this news inspires you to make more coffee at home, why not check out the vast selection of coffee makers and espresso makers at Faema Montreal where you can find everything you need to make your next perfect cup (or cups) of coffee.
And finally, never forget, as Benjamin Franklin once said: “Moderation in all things — including moderation.”
A presto!
