A 12-year study of more than 155,000 women has found an unexpected possible contributor to the national epidemic of high blood pressure: sugared and diet colas such as Pepsi and Coke.

The research by four scientists from Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, was launched on the assumption that coffee causes high blood pressure. To their surprise, the study cleared coffee, but pointed the finger at cola instead.

The researchers cannot offer a biological cause and effect for the connection. But after scrutinizing their data for factors such as smoking and family history that could distort their results, they are confident the connection exists.

Read more about study findings related to caffeine in diet soda at http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/13116594.htm.