Wednesday October 15, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Drinking caffeinated beverages may raise risk of high blood pressure in teens, according to a study published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The study found the association between systolic blood pressure and caffeine varied by race.  African Americans are more affected by caffeine than other races.  

In blacks, intake of more than 11 mg per day of caffeine increased systolic blood pressure by 6.0 mm hg compared to those consuming 0 to 50 mg per day.   Caffeine had less effect on diastolic blood pressure in blacks.

The study was conducted by Margaret R. Savoca, PhD and colleagues from Medical College of Georgia and supported by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health.

Both men and women in the U.S. have experienced an increase in blood pressure with men starting at age 60 and women at age 40, according to Paul D. Sorlie, Ph.D and colleagues at from the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health.

Sorlie’ s study published in the Nov. 2008 issue of hypertension showed the percentage of people with high blood pressure increased from 50.3 to 55.5 percent between 1994 and 2004 while the rate of hypertension increased from 32.3 to 36.1 percent.