Caffeine and Behavioral Stress Effects on Blood Pressure in Borderline Hypertensive Caucasian Men

Caffeine in dietary amounts raises blood pressure (BP), and its use increases during work stress; however, caffeine combined with behavioral stress has not been tested in borderline hypertensive (BH) men. Accordingly, this study tested a psychomotor stressor plus caffeine (3.3 mg/kg, equivalent to 2-3 cups of coffee) using a double-blind, crossover design in 24 BH men (140/90 mmHg ≤ BP ≤ 160/95 mmHg) and 24 controls (BP ≤ 135/85 mmHg). BH men had modestly larger BP increases to the task and showed a greater combined effect of caffeine plus the task (+15/+11 mmHg) than controls (+10/+6 mmHg). BH men maintained response to the stressor in the face of an exaggerated BP response to caffeine, suggesting that use of caffeine during behavioral stress may elevate BP in BH individuals to a clinically meaningful degree.