Should you avoid coffee if you have high blood pressure?

Time to update our ideas about coffee.

Like many other people, I love the smell of fresh coffee. My days start with a steaming cup of the stuff, always black espresso or americano.

Let me get right to the heart of the matter; despite the fact that I have high blood pressure, I drink 2-4 cups of coffee every day. 

But many people still believe that I shouldn't and think caffeinated drinks like coffee increase blood pressure. Therefore, if your blood pressure is high, surely you should cut down on caffeine. And many will have been told this by their doctor. 

At face value, the advice does seem to make sense, and I probably also used to tell my patients. So, why am I telling you now that this is rubbish?

Photo by Emre

There is actually plenty of evidence that shows that blood pressure tends to be lower in habitual coffee drinkers.