Excessive coffee consumption (≥2 cups/day) should be evaded among individuals with grade 2–3 hypertension. On the other hand, green tea intake does not magnify the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, as deciphered from a recent prospective study.  The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of coffee and green tea intake on mortality due to CVD in individuals with severe hypertension.

Overall, 18609 individuals (12,035 women and 6574 men) in JACC (Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk), who finished a questionnaire about their food, lifestyle, medical history as well as physical assessments, were followed up. In order to categorize the participants' blood pressure (BP), researchers divided them into four groups: (1) Grade 1 hypertension, (2) Grade 2-3 hypertension, (3) High-normal BP, and (4) Optimal and normal BP.

The multivariable hazard ratios for CVD mortality were calculated using a Cox proportional hazard model with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Over the 18.9 years of median follow-up, a total of 842 CVD fatalities occurred. The multivariable hazard ratios (95% CI) of CVD mortality were 2.05 (1.17-3.59) for ≥2 cups/day, 0.98 (0.67-1.43) for <1 cup/day, and 0.74 (0.37-1.46) for 1 cup/day, in comparison with non-coffee users. This association was found among adults with grade 2-3 hypertension. Individuals having optimum and normal, high-normal, and grade 1 hypertension did not display these correlations. Across all categories of BP, consuming green tea was not connected to escalated CVD risk.

Hence, heavy coffee drinking escalated the hazard of CVD mortality in individuals having severe hypertension, but not in those having grade 1 hypertension or no hypertension. Contrarily, green tea use was not linked to a higher risk of CVD mortality in any category.