A major study reveals that cola soft drinks, not necessarily caffeine or coffee, may be tied to hypertension risk.

The Nurses Health Studies 1 and 2 followed over 155,000 women for 12 years and collected data on a multitude of lifestyle factors. And while the studies do not prove that cola soft drinks lead to hypertension, the association was still prevalent among participants even when numerous other factors were considered (i.e. age, weight, consumption of other beverages, etc.). There were several significant outcomes of the studies, including:

1. Caffeine was tied to temporary increased in blood pressure, although no evidence was found to suggest that this effect was long term.

2. The long term effect of caffeinated tea and hypertension were inconsistent and deemed not statistically significant.

3. Women in the study who drink one regular caffeinated cola drink a day seemed to increase their risk of hypertension by 9-13%, 2-3 drinks by 11-24% and more than 4 cans of cola a day by 28-44%.

4. Women in the study who drink one diet cola drink a day increased their risk of hypertension by 5-7%, 2-3 drinks by 6-9% and more than 4 cans of cola a day by 16-19%.

For more information see:

“Cola Drinks May Boost Blood Pressure” By Daniel J. DeNoon. WebMD Health News. Nov. 8, 2005. Can be found online at http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/news/20051108/cola-drinks-may-boost-blood-pressure?page=2

“Cola, not coffee, increases risk of hypertension in women” by Lisa Nainggolan. November 8, 2005. Can be found online at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/538864