Coffee and Green Tea Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Among People With and Without Hypertension

Background This study was conducted to examine the impacts of coffee and green tea consumption on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among people with severe hypertension. Methods and Results In the JACC (Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk), 18 609 participants (6574 men and 12 035 women) aged 40 to 79 years at baseline who completed a lifestyle, diet, and medical history questionnaire, and health examinations, were followed up until 2009. We classified the participants into four blood pressure (BP) categories: optimal and normal BP, high-normal BP, grade 1 hypertension, and grade 2-3 hypertension. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to calculate the multivariable hazard ratios with 95% CIs of CVD mortality. During the 18.9 years of median follow-up, a total of 842 CVD deaths were documented. Coffee consumption was associated with an increased risk of CVD mortality among people with grade 2-3 hypertension; the multivariable hazard ratios (95% CI) of CVD mortality were 0.98 (0.67-1.43) for <1 cup/day, 0.74 (0.37-1.46) for 1 cup/day, and 2.05 (1.17-3.59) for ≥2 cups/day, compared with non-coffee drinkers. Such associations were not found among people with optimal and normal, high-normal BP, and grade 1 hypertension. Green tea consumption was not associated with an increased risk of CVD across any BP categories. Conclusions Heavy coffee consumption was associated with an increased risk of CVD mortality among people with severe hypertension, but not people without hypertension and with grade 1 hypertension. In contrast, green tea consumption was not associated with an increased risk of CVD mortality across all categories of BP.