The reason you should avoid alcohol altogether

Having just one drink a day increases your blood pressure, a major new study has suggested.

Researchers said people should avoid alcohol altogether after finding for the first time that routinely drinking, even in small quantities, can increase a person’s blood pressure.

Multiple studies have previously suggested there is no increased risk of death from a small amount of alcohol, but the new research shows that drinking the equivalent of a glass of wine a day has an impact.

High blood pressure puts extra strain on blood vessels, the heart, and other organs, such as the brain, kidneys, and eyes.

Persistent high blood pressure can lead to a number of serious health problems including heart attacks, strokes, and vascular dementia.

‘No beneficial effects’

Researchers looked at data from seven different studies in the United States, Japan, and Korea spanning more than two decades and including information on almost 20,000 people.

Their study showed that blood pressure increased in line with alcohol consumption, and rose higher the more a person consumed.

The scientists of the study, the first of its kind, were “surprised” to find an increase in blood pressure from low levels of consumption.

Medication can lower blood pressure but diet and exercise, as well as other lifestyle factors, are the best way to keep a healthy blood pressure.

“We found no beneficial effects in adults who drank a low level of alcohol compared to those who did not drink alcohol,” said Prof Marco Vinceti, an adjunct professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health and an author of the study.

“We were somewhat surprised to see that consuming an already low level of alcohol was also linked to higher blood pressure changes over time compared to no consumption – although far less than the blood pressure increase seen in heavy drinkers.

“Alcohol is certainly not the sole driver of increases in blood pressure. However, our findings confirm it contributes in a meaningful way.

“Limiting alcohol intake is advised, and avoiding it is even better.”

For the average adult, high blood pressure is considered to be from 140/90mm Hg, according to the NHS.

Systolic blood pressure – the first number in the reading – increased by 1.25mm HG for every 12g of ethanol consumed, the analysis found.

Diastolic pressure – the second number in the reading – spiked by 1.14 units in people who consume an average of 12g of pure alcohol a day.

A single unit of alcohol in the UK is around 10ml of ethanol, as this is the amount the human body can process in an hour.

People who drink 12g a day, on average, consume around 10.5 units a week, which is the same as five regular glasses of wine a week.

The effect was also seen in people who drank more than a glass every day.

People who consumed 48g of alcohol per day saw an average increase in their systolic blood pressure of 4.9mm Hg.

Men consuming 48g of alcohol per day saw their diastolic blood pressure rise by an average of 3.1mm Hg, the authors found.

The NHS guidelines advise both men and women to not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week.

Data showed that small amounts of alcohol led to elevated blood pressure for all individuals, but those with already high blood pressure saw greater increases linked to alcohol.

“This suggests that people with a trend towards increased – although still not ‘high’ – blood pressure may benefit the most from low to no alcohol consumption,” said Paul Whelton from Tulane University, co-author of the study.

The findings are published in the journal Hypertension.