Just 1 Alcoholic Drink a Day Can Increase Blood Pressure, Say Researchers

Just one alcoholic drink a day is enough to increase your blood pressure, according to new research.

The study — published in the medical journal Hypertension — found evidence that alcohol increases systolic blood pressure (the pressure when your heart pushes blood out) even among people with no existing hypertension.

Researchers also found that the more alcohol someone drinks, the higher their systolic (SBP) reading becomes and that there is no point at which this relationship stops or changes. 

“We found no beneficial effects in adults who drank a low level of alcohol compared to those who did not drink alcohol,” senior study author and professor Marco Vinceti, said in a release by the American Heart Association.

“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.”

In contrast, the results showed that for diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (the pressure when your heart rests between beats), the relationship between alcohol and blood pressure is different depending on “sex and geographic location.”

“Alcohol consumption was positively associated with blood pressure changes in both Asians and North Americans, apart from DBP in the latter group,” researchers added in the journal, noting that “Seven studies, with 19,548 participants and a median follow-up of 5.3 years (range, 4–12 years), were included in the analysis.”

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“Our analysis was based on grams of alcohol consumed and not just on the number of drinks to avoid the bias that might arise from the different amount of alcohol contained in ‘standard drinks’ across countries and/or types of beverages,” study co-author Tommaso Filippini, said, per the release. 

Vinceti noted that while drinking alcohol is just one factor that can raise blood pressure, it is a significant one — also suggesting that people should limit or avoid alcohol consumption to lower their blood pressure.

“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,” he said in the release.

The initial blood pressure levels of the participants who did not have hypertension when they joined the studies, also influenced the results of the alcohol analysis, per the release.

Study co-author Paul K. Whelton explained in the release that “participants with higher starting blood pressure readings, had a stronger link between alcohol intake and blood pressure changes over time.”

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,” he said.

Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver, said that the idea that alcohol consumption increases blood pressure is not new, CNN reported.

“However, this review found relatively low levels of alcohol impacted blood pressure,” said Freeman, who was not involved with the research. “So, to me, this is yet another study showing there may not be any safe amount of alcohol.”

According to American Heart Association recommendations, people who are not regular consumers of alcohol should not start drinking. If someone is a drinker, they should consult a doctor about the pros and cons of moderate alcohol consumption.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.