A study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, has shown that drinking two or more cups of coffee a day can double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in people with hypertension
"People with severe hypertension are more susceptible to the effects of caffeine," explains one of the study's lead authors, Hiroyasu Iso.
The research involved 6,570 men and 12,000 women between the ages of 40 and 79. The volunteers were followed for 19 years. During this period, 842 deaths related to cardiovascular disease were recorded.
Am I at risk?
Blood pressure categories:
Low risk: 120/80 mm Hg
Medium risk: 121-139/80 - 89 mm Hg
High risk: 140+/90 mm Hg
"There are some exceptions to these categories: for example, for people with diabetes, values for high risk are considered when blood pressure is higher than 130/80," the CUF health network portal can read. For those over 80 years old, "the systolic blood pressure [measures the force with which the heart contracts and 'expels' the blood from its interior] should be, in general, less than 150".
As well as being a worrying condition in itself, its onset can also be associated with other even more serious health problems that can even lead to death.