Age and prior caffeine use alter the cardiovascular and adrenomedullary responses to oral caffeine

The effects of age and chronic caffeine use (approximately 300 mg/day) on the cardiovascular and humoral responses to 250 mg of oral caffeine (the equivalent of 2 to 3 cups of coffee) were examined. Older subjects had greater increases in blood pressure than younger subjects (p less than 0.03), and caffeine nonusers had greater blood pressure increases than caffeine users, regardless of age (p less than 0.05). Caffeine increased the product of systolic blood pressure and heart rate (an estimate of myocardial oxygen demand) in older caffeine nonusers, but this effect was absent in older caffeine users (p less than 0.01). Cardiovascular effects of caffeine could not be related temporally to changes in plasma epinephrine, which were greater in caffeine nonusers and younger subjects, or to plasma norepinephrine, renin activity or vasopressin, which did not change. Thus, age accentuates and moderate prior caffeine use attenuates the cardiovascular effects of oral caffeine; these effects are not mediated solely through the sympathoadrenal system.