Effect of coffee on blood pressure and electrocardiographic changes in young and elderly healthy subjects

Introduction: Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. It is the primary source of caffeine in many populations, but also contains several other biologically active components that may have either harmful or beneficial cardiovascular effects. Caffeine is widely consumed by people of all ages in India as well as many other countries. Methods: The study was conducted on 80 volunteers aged 21-40 years and with body mass index (BMI) between 17.3-28.0 kg /m2 .The subjects were divided into two groups: Control (n=40) (Age less than 25years )and Study group (n=40)(Age > 40 years). Results: Observation suggests that increment in systolic blood pressure (SBP) recorded in both the groups after coffee ingestion, but SBP increment was lesser in elderly person than that of control group. We also observe that there was decrease in heart rate in both study and control group, QTc was lower in control group. Conclusion: Coffee increases systolic and diastolic blood pressure but not the heart rate and the QTc interval. we also conclude that QTc interval is greater in elderly persons. [Natl J of Med Res 2013; 3(1.000): 53-55]