Gossip columnist Earl Wilson once said, "One way to get high blood pressure is to go mountain climbing over molehills."

Whatever the cause, nearly 116 million American adults have high blood pressure. Unfortunately, only a quarter of them have it under control, and half of those people have pressure readings above 140/90.

In addition, research shows that almost none of those folks are taking antihypertensive medication that's been recommended to them.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, dementia, heart and kidney failure — and even cancer, because it seems to impede immune system function.

Now a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association reveals one more issue. People with blood pressure of 160/100 or higher and who drink two or more cups of coffee a day have twice the risk of death from heart disease as those who don't drink coffee.

If your blood pressure is at or above 140/90 (that's considered high — 130/80 is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and I say aim for 115/75), you might want to take it easy on the morning coffee until you get your blood pressure controlled.

If you don't know your blood pressure, get it checked at a local pharmacy or your doctor's office, more than once yearly if you're over 40. 

You can find a blood pressure medication that works for you (there are many choices) with no side effects and at a price you can afford.