Excess coffee consumption

Gossip columnist Earl Wilson once said, “One way to get high blood pressure is to go mountain climbing over molehills.” Whatever the cause, nearly 116 million American adults have high blood pressure; only a quarter of them have it under control; and half of those folks have pressure readings above 140/90. In addition, research shows that almost none of those folks are taking antihypertensive medication that’s been recommended to them. Talk about a potential time bomb. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, dementia, heart and kidney failure — and even cancer, since it seems to impede immune system function.

And now a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association reveals one more thing that might detonate it. Folks with blood pressure of 160/100 or higher and who drink two or more cups of coffee a day have twice the risk of death from heart disease as folks who don’t drink coffee!

So if your blood pressure is at or above 140/90 (that’s considered high — 130/80 is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and I say aim for 115/75) you might want to take it easy on the morning coffee until you get your blood pressure controlled. THAT’S THE POINT — get your blood pressure controlled! You can find a blood pressure medication that works for you (there are many choices) with no side effects and at a price you can afford. Psst! If you don’t know your blood pressure, get it checked at a local pharmacy or your doctor’s office — more than once yearly if you’re 40plus.

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow.” Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@ GreatAgeReboot.com.