Does caffeine in tea raise blood pressure

High blood pressure can often be prevented or reduced by eating healthily, maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular exercise, drinking alcohol in moderation and not smoking.

Table of Contents Show

Healthy diet
Limit your alcohol intake
Lose weight
Cut down on caffeine
Stop smoking
Caffeine and Blood Pressure
Sugar-Sweetened Tea
Benefits of Tea
Can I drink tea if I have high blood pressure?
Which tea is good for high blood pressure?
Can drinking too much tea cause high blood pressure?
Is coffee or tea better for people with high blood pressure?

Healthy diet

Cut down on the amount of salt in your food and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.

The Eatwell Guide highlights the different types of food that make up our diet, and shows the proportions we should eat them in to have a well-balanced and healthy diet.

Salt raises your blood pressure. The more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure. Aim to eat less than 6g (0.2oz) of salt a day, which is about a teaspoonful.

Find out how to cut down on salt

Eating a low-fat diet that includes lots of fibre, such as wholegrain rice, bread and pasta, and plenty of fruit and vegetables also helps lower blood pressure.

Aim to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

Find out how to get your 5 A Day

Limit your alcohol intake

Regularly drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure over time.

Staying within the recommended levels is the best way to reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure:

men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week
spread your drinking over 3 days or more if you drink as much as 14 units a week

Find out how many units are in your favourite drink and get tips on cutting down.

Alcohol is also high in calories, which will make you gain weight and can further increase your blood pressure.

Lose weight

Being overweight forces your heart to work harder to pump blood around your body, which can raise your blood pressure.

Find out if you need to lose weight with the BMI healthy weight calculator

If you do need to lose some weight, it's worth remembering that just losing a few pounds will make a big difference to your blood pressure and overall health.

Get advice on losing weight safely

Get active

Being active and taking regular exercise lowers blood pressure by keeping your heart and blood vessels in good condition.

Regular exercise can also help you lose weight, which will also help lower your blood pressure.

Adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.

Physical activity can include anything from sport to walking and gardening.

Cut down on caffeine

Drinking more than 4 cups of coffee a day may increase your blood pressure.

If you're a big fan of coffee, tea or other caffeine-rich drinks, such as cola and some energy drinks, consider cutting down.

It's fine to drink tea and coffee as part of a balanced diet, but it's important that these drinks are not your main or only source of fluid.

Stop smoking

Smoking does not directly cause high blood pressure, but it puts you at much higher risk of a heart attack and stroke.

Smoking, like high blood pressure, will cause your arteries to narrow.

If you smoke and have high blood pressure, your arteries will narrow much more quickly, and your risk of heart or lung disease in the future is dramatically increased.

Tea is a versatile beverage that you can enjoy either iced or hot. But if you are someone who sips a cup of tea every day, you may be wondering whether drinking tea is interfering with your blood pressure. The answer is that the different compounds of tea can create mixed effects.

Caffeine and Blood Pressure

Caffeine is a bitter substance found naturally in tea leaves and other plants. The Food and Drug Administration has recommended that healthy adults drink no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine each day. Regular tea can contain 14 to 60 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounces, notes the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Small traces of caffeine will still be found in tea that is considered caffeine free, just less than their regular counterparts.

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Caffeine has many effects on the body, such as stimulating your central nervous system so you feel energetic and awake. It may also increase your blood pressure temporarily, especially one hour after consumption, when it's at peak level in the blood. The reason behind the brief rise in blood pressure is still unclear, and some people may be more sensitive to caffeine effects than others, according to the Mayo Clinic.

If you already deal with high blood pressure, it's best to consult your doctor on whether you should limit or stop drinking caffeinated beverages. It's also important to avoid drinking large amounts of caffeine before participating in activities that naturally raise your blood pressure, such as exercising or physical labor, says Mayo Clinic.

Read more: Caffeine in Green Tea Vs. Black Tea

Sugar-Sweetened Tea

Tea in its natural form can sometimes present a sweet flavor but does not include added sugar. Depending on the brand, some companies may add sugar in the form of granulated sugar, artificial sweetener or other sugar substitutes.

"Drinking large amounts of sugar-sweetened tea may increase your blood pressure," says SaVanna Shoemaker, RDN, LD, a dietitian/nutritionist in Little Rock, Arkansas. "Ideally, you should have your tea unsweetened or lightly sweetened with honey or a plant-based sweetener like stevia."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that added sugar intake should be less than 10 percent of total daily calories. Added sugars are various sugars or syrups that get added to foods or beverages when they are processed. Examples of added sugars include:

Brown sugar
High-fructose corn syrup
Molasses
Raw sugar
Honey

Too many added sugars in the diet can lead to health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity. the CDC points out.

Benefits of Tea

Caffeine is only one compound in tea, but there are many more that have health-boosting properties, according to an October 2019 review in the journal Antioxidants. "Tea contains powerful antioxidants called catechins that can reduce inflammation and reverse cellular damage," adds Shoemaker. "These effects promote healthier blood pressure levels."

Catechins are one of more than 8,000 kinds of polyphenols. Some studies indicate that polyphenols in tea help reduce blood pressure. One study published in JAMA Internal Medicine in January 2012 found that drinking 3 cups of black tea daily for six months resulted in lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 2 to 3 millimeters of mercury.

A review of studies published in May 2019 in Nutrients showed similar results, including a reduction of blood pressure even among people who have hypertension.

Beyond promoting healthier blood pressure levels, catechins are also known to have antimicrobial abilities to prevent infections. A study done on catechins, published in July 2018 in BioMed Research International, found that adults who took green tea supplements two times daily for three months had 32 percent fewer incidents of cold or influenza symptoms. They also reported 23 percent fewer illnesses that lasted two days or longer.

Drinking tea with high catechin levels has also been affiliated with the prevention and treatment of various diseases, such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and neurologic and oral health, say the BioMed Research study authors.

Can I drink tea if I have high blood pressure?

Drinking tea may be a healthy habit you can add to your lifestyle to help manage your blood pressure levels which you should discuss with your doctor. Remember to consume any teas in moderation since most contain caffeine (including green tea, which contains naturally-occurring caffeine).

Which tea is good for high blood pressure?

Some of the best teas for high blood pressure include chamomile, lavender, rose, and hibiscus. These teas are known for their ability to lower blood pressure and improve heart health. You can enjoy any of these teas by steeping them in hot water for a few minutes. Then, simply drink and relax.

Can drinking too much tea cause high blood pressure?

Cut down on caffeine Drinking more than 4 cups of coffee a day may increase your blood pressure. If you're a big fan of coffee, tea or other caffeine-rich drinks, such as cola and some energy drinks, consider cutting down.