Hypertension is persistently high blood pressure over a period of months, which approximately 50 people in the U.S. are afflicted with. A recent Harvard University study found that coffee does not contribute significantly to hypertension ( reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association). Instead, coffee, like exercise and orgasms, causes a sharp, temporary increase in blood pressure. A study at John Hopkins in 2002 had already found that coffee drinking appeared to play only a small role in the development of hypertension; but the more recent Harvard study found that coffee may have no role. However, researchers have determined that cola does increase the risk of hypertension, but they don't know why. Please take note how I cleverly lumped together coffee, exercise, and orgasms.