As a service to our readers, University Health News offers a vast archive of free digital content. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. Additionally, doses of over 240 mL were also able to reduce diastolic blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats.
Does the Type of Alcohol Matter?
There are also a number of opportunities to expand on the research, including understanding more about how alcohol intake https://ecosoberhouse.com/ influences blood pressure among women. One area of interest is how the consumption of alcohol impacts blood pressure. However, even drinking small amounts of alcohol may contribute to high blood pressure. Keeping blood pressure within a healthy range can reduce the risk of adverse health outcomes.
Limit Alcohol to Treat Hypertension
Whiskey has high levels of polyphenols, plant-based antioxidants linked with lowering your risk of heart disease. The polyphenols in whiskey have been shown to decrease “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and increase “good” cholesterol (HDL) levels, and reduce triglycerides, or fat in your blood. It also discusses treatment and some frequently asked questions about alcohol and high blood pressure. “Limiting or drug addiction treatment completely quitting drinking can lead to improvements in your blood pressure, especially if you’re a regular or heavy drinker,” says Sheth.
Is There a “Best” or “Worst” Alcohol To Drink if You Have High Blood Pressure?
- Some researchers are involved in organizations with ties to the alcohol industry.
- Nothing on this website should be taken as professional advice and we always encourage responsible drinking.
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- Its alcohol content ranges from 40 to 184-proof, and any health benefits of this liquor are limited to moderate drinking.
- High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a condition where the force of the blood against the artery walls is consistently too high.
Often called the “silent killer,” high blood pressure typically shows no symptoms until a severe event occurs, making regular blood pressure readings crucial for early detection. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a stealthy yet significant health challenge faced by almost half the adult population in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 120 million American adults are battling this “silent killer”, but alarmingly, only a quarter are managing it effectively. One key lifestyle factor you might not realize is impacting your blood pressure is alcohol consumption.
Long-term and excessive intake of alcohol can lead to swelling and inflammation of the liver 1. Whiskey can also reduce your appetite, so try drinking a shot at the end of your meal. Whiskey is a dark, distilled spirit that started as medicine in 16th century Scotland. Doctors prescribed this liquor during the Prohibition Era for people with tuberculosis, pneumonia, and high blood pressure. One of the biggest causes of high blood pressure is diet, with foods high in salt among the worst culprits. But while some foods can raise your blood pressure, others can have the opposite effect.
Health benefits of avoiding alcohol
The following sections will look at some of these ways in more detail. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a very common condition worldwide. If you have already been diagnosed with hypertension, you should talk to your doctor about how much alcohol you can drink. 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. In a study whiskey and high blood pressure from 2021, researchers gave 500 mL of orange juice, around 2 cups, daily to people with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension. A research review from 2022 analyzed studies that gave participants with hypertension 70–250 milliliters (mL) of beetroot juice per day for 3–60 days.