Safety of caffeine consumption in hypertensive individuals: a systematic review
Abstract
Introduction: High blood pressure is one of the main preventable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In this context, many hypertensive patients have a habit of consuming caffeine. Therefore, this review aims to evaluate the safety of caffeine consumption by hypertensive patients. Materials and methods: A systematic review was conducted following the recommendations proposed by the PRISMA Statement. The databases used to search for articles were PubMed, BVS, and SciELO. Eligibility criteria were defined using the PICOS strategy: (P) adults, both sexes, diagnosed with hypertension; (I) caffeine consumption; (C) placebo or absence of caffeine; (O) blood pressure assessment; (S) randomized clinical trials. The PEDro scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the included articles. Results: Initially, 2346 studies were identified. After the screening process, four studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Of these, three studies demonstrated an increase in blood pressure in response to caffeine intake by hypertensive individuals. Only one study demonstrated that caffeine restriction has no impact on mean arterial pressure over a 24-hour period. Conclusion: Consuming high doses of caffeine can result in an acute increase in blood pressure in hypertensive individuals. However, caffeine restriction does not appear to be a non-pharmacological measure for controlling hypertension.
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