Hypertension: How just 1 alcohol drink a day may affect blood pressure

But your heart is an important organ that should also be cared for, so be sure to drink in moderation, learn about binge drinking and know what your body can (and can’t) tolerate before opening that tab. That fourth drink at the bar may feel like it’s relaxing you, but it’s actually affecting your body differently than you might think. Alcohol can affect your blood pressure, causing it to go up temporarily. Older adults — drinkers, nondrinkers, it doesn’t matter — are already at risk for hypertension. Research suggests that 74.5 percent of people 60 and older have high blood pressure, compared with 54.5 percent of adults ages 40 to 59.

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Merle Myerson is a board-certified cardiologist with specialties in sports medicine, lipids, women’s health and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Medications such as statins that act directly on the liver can cause further damage when combined with alcohol. T​his research was a dose-response meta-analysis of seven different nonexperimental cohort studies.

Regularly consuming too many calories can lead to weight gain and therefore obesity, which is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Heavier drinking (binge drinking) can also bring on a first episode of arrhythmia; once this has happened for the first time, you’re at an increased risk in the future. Keeping blood pressure within a healthy range can reduce the risk of adverse health outcomes.

And if you have a history of high blood pressure, it’s best to avoid alcohol completely or drink only occasionally, and in moderation. Women should be especially cautious about alcohol, Goldberg says, as they may be more likely than men to develop health problems, particularly among young or middle-aged women who have eight or more drinks a week. She notes that it can cause an enlarged heart (alcoholic cardiomyopathy), which weakens your heart and makes it harder to pump blood. And if you drink heavily and quickly, Goldberg says it can set you up for heart arrhythmias, which are abnormal or irregular heartbeats.

1. “Some of the new diabetes medications have a diuretic effect, and that could cause dehydration” in people with diabetes, Vaishnava says.
2. “I generally advise patients to try to avoid alcohol intake until we can get the blood pressure controlled,” Goldberg says.
3. ”We found participants with higher starting blood pressure readings, had a stronger link between alcohol intake and blood pressure changes over time.
4. Heart rate increased significantly after alcohol consumption and remained increased at all times measured.
5. If you already have high blood pressure, your doctor may have advised you to drink alcohol in moderation and cut back on your overall alcohol intake.

Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling AHA-USA1. It causes the body to hold onto water, which typically limits how much urine the kidneys make. The action of suppressing this hormone exacerbates the diuretic effect and leads to dehydration. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age.

Researchers looked at data from over 19,500 participants, allowing for vast information collection. The studies included participants from the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Dr. Cho also warns that if you have liver dysfunction or take other medicines that are processed through the liver, your risks might be different. Talk to your healthcare provider about how alcohol might interact with your prescription medicines. “Women might be more susceptible to the negative effects of alcohol,” Goldberg says, noting that alcohol breaks down more slowly in women than in men.

Even moderate alcohol intake could cause high blood pressure. Learn what you can do to reduce the risk

Reach out to us at to learn more about treatment, admissions, and how to take your first steps toward recovery today. Following successful completion of detox, if a person is or has struggled with alcoholism, it may be time to seek an inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation program to allow further work toward recovery and relapse prevention. “In limited amounts, it’s probably OK based on the data that we have,” says cardiologist Luke Laffin, MD, co-director of the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century.

Like many medical facilities across the nation, our supply chain is feeling the effects of Hurricane Helene’s aftermath. Johns Hopkins Medicine currently has a sufficient sterile fluid supply to meet treatment, surgical and emergency needs. However, we have put proactive conservation measures into place to ensure normal operations, always with patient safety as our first priority. Examples of sterile fluids include intravenous (IV), irrigation and dialysis fluids. Although none of the participants had high blood pressure when they enrolled in the studies, their blood pressure measurements at the beginning did have an impact on the alcohol findings.

Researchers

While some people develop a tolerance to alcohol over time, this isn’t true for everyone — and this ability doesn’t last forever, Dr. Cho notes. It’s also important to know that the ways in which alcohol affects your heart will vary from person to person, depending on your age and other conditions you may have. Laffin recommends that patients with borderline or uncontrolled high blood pressure at least cut back on alcohol if they’re trying different blood pressure meds or want to treat it with lifestyle changes alone. Studies published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position.

If you drink regularly, you might feel like alcohol doesn’t affect you as much, but this usually means you’ve developed a tolerance to some of the effects. But it may be worthwhile learning about what counts as binge drinking and whether or not you may be drinking Understanding the Dangers of Alcohol too much and don’t even know it. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol misuse and/or you’re concerned about the possible effects alcohol can have on cardiovascular health, help is available. American Addiction Centers offers multiple treatment centers throughout the U.S., providing everything from alcohol detox and inpatient treatment to outpatient care, telehealth treatment, and aftercare. Paired with the added risk of high blood pressure, treatment and rehabilitation become even more important.

Working with your cardiologist and focusing on your lifestyle – like the foods you eat, exercising, and avoiding alcohol – are key, Goldberg says. Some people may also need medication to help manage their blood pressure. Alcohol prevents the body’s baroreceptors from detecting a need to stretch the blood vessels and increase their diameter, causing an increase in blood pressure. When blood pressure decreases, these receptors help minimize how much the blood vessels stretch to increase blood pressure.