Your doctor should do this as part of your regular office visits. The first step is to check your blood pressure. Grayver, though, emphasized that “there should not be a cookie-cutter approach to every single patient regarding their alcohol consumption.” Moderate - and even more so, heavy - alcohol consumption is also linked to some types of cancer, including head and neck, breast, and colon cancers.
Marcus said one that is “underappreciated” is the link between alcohol - even moderate amounts - and an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a quivering or irregular heartbeat. There are also other health risks to keep in mind. Marcus said “the evidence is growing that even moderate alcohol consumption may, in fact, not be as heart healthy as we previously believed.” So what does the new study mean for your blood pressure and drinking preferences? In a 2015 study, Marcus and his colleagues found that people who believed that alcohol is heart healthy were more likely to drink more, compared to those who thought otherwise. “It is possible that once someone receives a diagnosis of hypertension, they may then be incentivized to drink alcohol in moderate amounts,” said Marcus. “That in itself could be driving the hypertension.”Įven news stories that talk about the heart benefits of alcohol may play a part. “All of the pretzels, peanuts, and other snacks that go along with alcohol consumption have a significant amount of salt in them,” said Grayver. Red wine, for instance, is thought to have anti-inflammatory effects on the body, which may also impact heart health.Īnd what you eat with your glass of beer or wine or shot of whiskey can affect your blood pressure, too. Grayver said the type of alcohol that people drink could also make a difference. Marcus said the results could also be thrown off by “other factors that tend to travel with individuals who are able to stick to a routine and avoid excess.”įor example, people who drink lightly or abstain may also tend to eat healthy, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep - all of which can lower their blood pressure. (There’s a study many people would love to join.) Marcus, a cardiologist, said he “doesn’t think it’s surprising that even moderate alcohol consumption is sufficient to raise the blood pressure.”īut he pointed out that this is an observational study, so it can’t show for certain the health benefits - or harms - of moderate drinking.įor that, you’d need a randomized controlled trial, in which groups of people are assigned to drink a certain amount of alcohol each day for months or years. The study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, so the results should be viewed as preliminary.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderate drinking for women is up to 1 drink per day, and for men it is up to 2 drinks per day - or 7 and 14 drinks per week, respectively. Evelina Grayver, director of the Coronary Care Unit at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, who was not involved in the study, said this information is important because moderate drinking is different for men and women.Īccording to the U.S. The researchers also took into account other risk factors for high blood pressure, such as age, race, and income.ĭr.
Amer Aladin, a cardiology fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Health, told Healthline they plan to do additional tests of the gender differences in the future. The researchers found similar results for both men and women, although the available study abstract doesn’t provide separate data for them. These new guidelines lowered the cutoff for Stage 1 hypertension to a systolic blood pressure between 130–139 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure between 80–89 mm Hg. Researchers assessed people’s blood pressure using the 2017 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines. One standard drink contains about 0.6 fluid ounces of pure alcohol. Heavy drinkers - more than 14 drinks per week -were 69 percent more likely to have stage 1 hypertension than nondrinkers. Researchers studied over 17,000 people and found those who consumed 7 to 13 drinks of alcohol per week were 53 percent more likely to have stage 1 hypertension, compared to nondrinkers. Study staff also measured participants’ blood pressure at home or at a mobile examination center. People in the study reported their drinking behavior on several questionnaires. adults who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 19. The new study was presented today at the American College of Cardiology’s 68th Annual Scientific Session.
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