The more alcohol you consume, the greater the strain on your cardiovascular system. Chronic alcohol use can lead to sustained high blood pressure, which, if left unmanaged, can result in serious health risks, including heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease. We hypothesize that these behaviors will partially, but not fully, mediate the relationship between alcohol and blood pressure.
Shai 2015 published data only
High blood pressure during or after pregnancy can endanger the health of the mother and can also impact the health of the child,” Muñoz said. In another shift, the guidelines now recommend minimal — ideally zero — alcohol consumption. New blood pressure guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology call for earlier treatment, abstaining from alcohol, and greater attention to blood pressure during pregnancy, among other changes. The crude and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the onset of hypertension are shown in Table 3.
Golan 2017 published data only
However, the evidence currently available in support of the possible benefits of the restriction of alcohol consumption on hypertension, and its complications, is all but conclusive and deserves further investigation. A meta-analysis of 36 randomized controlled trials reported an association between short-term reduction in alcohol consumption and blood pressure decrease 21. In this metanalysis, the overall effect of alcohol reduction was a decrease of 3 mm Hg for systolic and 2 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. However, stratification of analysis by the amount of baseline alcohol intake showed no effect on blood pressure for participants who consumed up to two drinks per day. Conversely, blood pressure reduction was significant and progressively higher in participants who had baseline alcohol intake of three, four to five, and six or more drinks per day. In this study, a meta-regression model indicated a decrease of 0.91 mm Hg in systolic and 0.75 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure per one drink per day.
In Barden 2013, treatment allocation was performed by a statistician who was not involved in the trial. Opaque sealed randomised envelopes were used in Cheyne 2004 and Foppa 2002, and random number allocator was used in Rosito 1999. It is important to note that information regarding the method of allocation concealment used in Foppa 2002 and Rosito 1999 was provided by the study author via email. We also contacted Hering 2011, but the study author did not explicitly mention in the email the method of allocation concealment used. We (ST and CT) independently screened the citations found through the database search using Covidence software (Covidence).
Over time, this can lead to damage to the vascular system and increase the strain on your heart. The relationship between blood pressure alcohol intake and blood pressure levels depends on how much alcohol you consume. Within two hours of alcohol consumption, your blood pressure alcohol may rise temporarily. This is because alcohol causes your blood vessels to constrict, increasing resistance to blood flow and raising blood pressure. This article examines how alcohol affects blood pressure, explores the risks of drinking too much alcohol, and provides practical advice for those looking to balance their alcohol intake while protecting their cardiovascular system. During the brief intervention, the physician should give advice on lower limits or abstinence and provide strategies to reduce alcohol consumption (e.g., drinking nonalcoholic beer as a substitute).
Rakic 1998 published data only
- To lower blood pressure, consider reducing sodium intake, increasing physical activity, losing weight, managing stress, and quitting smoking.
- Possible Blood Pressure SpikeFollowing heavy consumption, individuals might notice an uptick in heart rate and BP.
I would love to hear about your experiences with alcohol and blood pressure management, so please share your questions, thoughts, or success stories in the comments below. Your sleep quality also improves significantly when you eliminate alcohol, and better sleep directly correlates with better blood pressure control. Heavy drinkers also tend to gain weight, especially around their midsection, which adds another layer of cardiovascular stress. Hi, I am Abdur, your nutrition coach, and today I am going to explain exactly how alcohol affects your blood pressure and whether you should avoid it completely. If you’re considering reducing your alcohol intake, you may want to try some alcohol alternatives. A 2023 Substance abuse review suggests that there’s a significant blood pressure benefit to reducing alcohol use or avoiding it altogether.
At the heart of Oar Health’s treatment is naltrexone, an FDA-approved medication clinically proven to help people drink less or quit entirely. Whether your goal is moderation or sobriety, Oar Health is here to help you navigate the journey with dignity and ease. For those struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD), cutting back or quitting altogether can feel like an insurmountable challenge. Enter Oar Health, a groundbreaking platform founded to help individuals regain control over their drinking habits.
- However, from the perspective of the effects of drinking and smoking on the physiological mechanism for the onset of hypertension, some degree of generalizability is possible in theory.
- Medium‐dose alcohol decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 5.6 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 4 mmHg within the first six hours of consumption.
- Over time, this added strain can lead to hypertension, or chronically high blood pressure, a condition that significantly increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other health problems.
The findings of no detectable indirect effects were robust to the method of evaluating mediation (see Appendix Table 1). There were no significant interactions between alcohol use and sex, race, or medication status with regard to outcomes. Neither using the larger sample nor the previous hypertension definition (140/90 mmHg) led to appreciably different results. Nearly half (46.7%) of adults in the U.S. have higher-than-normal blood pressure, referring to either stage 1 or stage 2 hypertension. The report emphasizes that most adults get their sodium intake from eating packaged and restaurant foods, rather than adding salt to the food they prepare. The new guidelines encourage people to examine the sodium content in the food they eat and use potassium-enriched salt substitutes when possible.
- He worked for many years in mental health and substance abuse facilities in Florida, as well as in home health (medical and psychiatric), and took care of people with medical and addictions problems at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
- Exceeding this limit increases the risk of cardiovascular, hepatic, and nervous system disorders (Bellentani 1997; Fuchs 2001; Gao 2011; Lieber 1998; McCullough 2011; Nutt 1999; Welch 2011).
- However this mechanism is implicated more likely in acute alcohol-induced hypertension.
- Randin et al53 have also reported that alcohol induces hypertension in rats by sympathetic activation that appears to be centrally mediated.
How Alcohol Affects Blood Pressure
We also checked the list of references in the included studies and articles that cited the included studies in Google Scholar to identify relevant articles. Alcohol can affect drinkers differently based on their age, sex, ethnicity, family history, and liver condition (Cederbaum 2012; Chen 1999; Gentry 2000; Thomasson 1995). Previous studies reported that women are affected more than men after drinking the same amount of alcohol because of their lower body weight and higher body fat. The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) rises faster in women because they have a smaller volume of distribution (Kwo 1998).
Parker 1990 published data only
While most people will experience some symptoms of withdrawal when they stop drinking, some may experience more severe symptoms. “It is often referred to as ‘the silent killer‘ because there are no symptoms of high blood pressure for a lot of people. This latest information will help people to make wise and informed choices about reducing their risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and chronic kidney disease by managing their blood pressure through lifestyle therapy and medication, if appropriate,” Jones said.
Does Alcohol Raise Blood Pressure?
For low doses of alcohol, we found low‐certainty evidence suggesting that SBP, DBP, and MAP fall within the first six hours after alcohol consumption. We classified six studies as having low risk of performance bias (Dai 2002; Narkiewicz 2000; Nishiwaki 2017; Potter 1986; Rosito 1999; Van De Borne 1997). In this study, all test drinks were poured into paper cups to achieve blinding of participants. We contacted the author of Rosito 1999 to request additional information regarding the method of blinding used. The study author explained the blinding method in detail in an email, so we classified this study as having low risk alcohol and hypertension of bias. We used GRADEpro software to construct a ‘Summary of findings’ table to compare outcomes including change in SBP and DBP and HR (GRADEpro 2014).
Because of its high prevalence in the general population, arterial hypertension is considered the leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality worldwide 16. The prevalence of hypertension is progressively rising because of the aging of the population and an increase in exposure to unhealthy lifestyles, mainly related to dietary habits. Lifestyle interventions in hypertension require the correction of risk factors, such as overweight, sedentary life, excess sodium and low potassium dietary consumption, and smoking, but also avoidance of excessive alcohol intake 17.
