This study examined the relationship between the frequency of coffee consumption and blood pressure over a two year follow up of a cohort of elderly people. Healthy, older people (N = 205) were examined at baseline and at two years. Participants completed physical and behavioural assessments, which included body composition, current pharmacological treatment, and frequency of coffee consumption grouped into three categories: "never to a few times per month", "once a week to a few times per week", and "every day". Blood pressure (systolic (sBP), diastolic (dBP), mean (mBP), and pulse pressure (PP)) was measured at baseline and after two years. After adjusting for body composition, smoking status, age, sex, heart rate, and number of antihypertensive agents taken, participants who drank coffee everyday had a significant increase in sBP, with a mean of 8.63 (1.27; 15.77) and an mBP, with a mean of 5.55 mmHg (0.52; 10.37) after two years (t = 2.37, p = 0.02 and t = 2.17, p = 0.03, respectively) compared to participants who never or very rarely (up to a few times per month) drank coffee. DBP and PP were not affected by coffee consumption frequency in a statistically significant manner.
Keywords: Poland; coffee; hypertension; longitudinal study.