Coffee Promotes Blood Vessel Health

Hypertension (high blood pressure) makes blood vessels less responsive to signals to expand, and the lower elasticity of the aorta serves as a significant predictor of cardiovascular events. Christina Chrysohoou, from the University of Athens (Greece), and colleagues analyzed coffee consumption patterns among 435 hypertensive individuals, ages 65 to 100 years, enrolled in a larger study involving the permanent inhabitants of Ikaria Island, where many residents reach 90 years and older.  As compared to those who rarely drank coffee, moderate consumption of one or two cups a day associated with a lower prevalence of diabetes, lower prevalence of high cholesterol, lower body mass index, lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease, and higher values of aortic distensibility.  Proposing that the presence of phenol compounds in coffee may be responsible for these effects, the researchers conclude that: “Moderate coffee consumption has beneficial effects on the aortic distensibility in hypertensive elderly individuals.”