Coffee may give your blood pressure a temporary jolt, but that doesn’t mean it’s secretly wrecking your heart. Researchers say caffeine can briefly raise blood pressure by stimulating your heart and tightening blood vessels, especially in people who don’t drink coffee regularly. But large stud ies involving hundreds of thousands of people found no strong evidence that moderate coffee drinking increases the risk of developing hypertension. In fact, coffee also contains natural compounds that may help blood vessels function better. ...read more read less