Truth about alcohol and high blood pressure

People often cite new studies that claim there are medical benefits to drinking alcohol. However, this is not entirely true.

The relationship between alcohol and hypertension has been the subject of study for many years. The earliest French physicians such as Liane wrote in the 1900s how sailors were found to suffer from high blood pressure after drinking several liters of wine a day.

Subsequent modern studies focused on the positive effects of wine by analyzing the benefits of polyphenols (present in red wine) on the human heart. Excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to mental and health problems such as hypertension. If you consume a moderate amount of alcohol with a healthy lifestyle, you get the benefit of a healthy lifestyle, not alcohol, and it is not related to the consumption of alcohol at all.

(Read More - Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure)

Unfortunately, calling red wine a heart-health treasure is just a myth. Many of these studies attribute the health benefits to other lifestyle factors, such as eating a low-salt diet, maintaining a balanced weight, and exercising, rather than alcohol.

(Read More - Hypertension Stages)

Grapes are naturally rich in antioxidants like resveratrol and proanthocyanidins. Due to these antioxidants, red wine is considered beneficial for health. Resveratrol is an antioxidant whose benefits may reduce the risk of heart disease on its own.

However, red wine contains too little resveratrol to provide any health benefits. To get the benefits of red wine, it has to be consumed in large quantities, which is not correct.

Also consider your lifestyle and genetic risk factors, such as if you have a family history of alcoholism or heart or liver disease, then you should avoid alcohol at any cost.

(Read More - High Blood Pressure FAQs)

Drinking alcohol can increase blood pressure. The more you drink alcohol, the more your BP will increase. Consuming three or more glasses of alcohol a day almost doubles the risk of hypertension.

The above association between alcohol and hypertension remained even after considering other factors such as age, weight (or body mass index), sodium and potassium intake, smoking, and education. If your test shows high blood pressure, then your doctor may advise you to consume alcohol in moderation.

(Read More - Does High Blood Pressure Cause Headache)

If you also drink alcohol, then you need to keep the following things in mind -

• Consumption of alcohol is not right at all. Drinking more than three glasses of alcohol at a time can raise blood pressure dangerously.
• If you are a patient with hypertension, then you need to stop drinking alcohol immediately. This may help to lower the BP level by a few mm.
• If a person is taking medication for hypertension, then he should avoid drinking alcohol, as it can lead to harmful effects.
• It has been found that if you stop drinking alcohol, its hypertensive (blood pressure) effects begin to subside within a few days. On the other hand, the maximum increase in BP occurs after drinking alcohol in the last 24 hours.
• Drinking alcohol can also increase the risk of weight gain and high blood pressure.
• The relationship between alcohol and BP concludes that drinking more than two glasses of alcohol a day can increase blood pressure and may lead to problems like a stroke in the long run.

(Read More - How to Take High Blood Pressure Medicine)

Men and women of any age should not consume alcohol at all. If someone is drinking alcohol continuously, then his chances of getting high BP increase manifold. On the other hand, if someone has high BP, then drinking alcohol in this situation can make the problem serious. Therefore, if someone drinks alcohol, he should leave it immediately.

(Read More - High Blood Pressure Medicine)