Coffee helps keep blood pressure low: this is the result of research by the University of Bologna, carried out in conjunction with the IRCCS Policlinico Sant'Orsola, going against every belief on the subject taken for granted. The study shows how those who drink two or three coffees a day have lower blood pressure on average than those who drink only one or none at all.

The study, published in the scientific journal Nutrients under the title "Self-Reported Coffee Consumption and Central and Peripheral Blood Pressure in the Cohort of the Brisighella Heart Study," sampled 720 men and 783 women.

Building on research from the Brisighella Heart Study, Dr. Claudio Borghi-a professor in the Department of Medical and Surgical Science at the University of Bologna and head of the study-the survey analyzed coffee consumption habits with respect to peripheral blood pressure parameters.

"The results we obtained show that regular coffee drinkers have significantly lower blood pressure, both peripherally and centrally, than non-drinkers," explains Arrigo Cicero, professor at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences at the University of Bologna and first author of the study. "This is the first study to observe this association in the Italian population, and the data confirm the positive effect of coffee consumption with respect to cardiovascular risk," adds Prof. Claudio Borghi, head of the study.

The explanation, according to Cicero, is that "caffeine is only one of several components of coffee and certainly not the only one that has an active role: positive effects on human health have in fact been recorded even among those who consume decaffeinated coffee," Cicero says. "We know that caffeine can contribute to increased blood pressure, but other bioactive components in coffee seem to counterbalance this effect, with a positive end result with respect to blood pressure levels."

Indeed, the research data show that the pressure values of regular consumers are significantly lower in both systolic and pulse pressure and in peripheral circulation and central aortic pressure. All results thus confirm the beneficial effects of coffee in mitigating the risk of cardiovascular disease.