Is drinking coffee good for you?

There is the obvious caffeine kick which many of us enjoy, plus the delicious taste of a decent blend of joe, but what about the effects on our bodies?

There have been plenty of studies to analyse the different medical consequences of drinking coffee, which could have an effect on all sorts of aspects, such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s, to name a couple of diseases which may respond to caffeine.

However, there has been another story in the news of late, which looks at how coffee can affect blood pressure.

What’s the deal?

The Preventative and Clinical Investigations Centre in Paris has conducted a ten year study involving some 180,000 participants, which suggests that coffee consumption has been associated with a lower blood pressure in those who drink four cups of coffee daily.

Not quite what you expected, hey?

It was suggested that the pulse pressure and heart rate in coffee drinkers at this level was not as high either.

Why?

A spokesperson for the programme said that these results may be because elements of coffee can cause vascular relaxation.

However, this is something of a new theory   it is usually thought that excessive consumption of caffeinated-rich drinks should be avoided in high blood pressure cases.

This is shown in the guidelines of Britain’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Does this mean that we need to do more investigations?

It would appear so.

The coffee industry is a global business and enormous quantities are drunk daily around the world.

The doctor who undertook this new study has stressed that the cause and effect of coffee/tea consumption and lower blood pressure is not proven, but it is certainly food for thought and fodder for further research.