Wednesday August 29, 2007 (Foodconsumer.org) -- The chances of getting treated to control high blood pressure or hypertension are slightly higher among coffee drinkers compared to nondrinkers, according to a new stud published in the August 2007 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

But the association between coffee drinking and the magnitude of hypertension is not clear-cut, according to researchers from the national Public Health institute, Helsinki, Finland.

Dr. Gang Hu and team followed 24,710 Finnish subjects aged 25 to 64 without prior history of using medication for hypertension, coronary heart disease or stroke.   Coffee drinking habits were surveyed through self-administered questionnaires.

During an average 13.2 years of follow-up, 2,505 participants started receiving antihypertensive drug treatment.

Hu’s team found the risk of having to receive antihypertensive drug treatment was higher among the coffee drinkers compared to those who did not drink.

Those who drank two or three cups of coffee a day were 29 percent more likely to be put on antihypertensive medications. But those who drank more than 8 cups a day were only linked a 14 percent increased risk.

The study was not meant to seek an answer to explain why coffee drinking was associated with the risk of being treated with antihypertensive drug.   So the researchers do not know whether drinking coffee indeed increases blood pressure.

Early studies have found that drinking coffee may help prevent liver disease and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.   But most such studies are observational.

The association between coffee consumption and cardiovascular disease remains complicated and more study is needed, according to the researchers.