Even One Drink a Day Is Poisonous... "It Can Rapidly Raise Blood Pressure"

Analysis of Adult Research Data from Korea, the United States, and Japan

A study has found that even a small amount of alcohol consumption, such as one drink a day, can sharply raise blood pressure.

This is based on an analysis of alcohol consumption research data involving over 19,000 adults from Korea, the United States, and Japan. Even without hypertension, consistently drinking a small amount of alcohol can raise blood pressure enough to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Professor Marco Vincenti and his team from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy analyzed data from seven observational studies involving 19,548 adults from Korea, the U.S., and Japan, published on July 31 (local time) in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Hypertension.

According to reports by CNN and others covering the study, the observational data were published between 1997 and 2021 in Korea, the U.S., and Japan, with participants aged from their 20s to early 70s. All participants had no hypertension, other cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, liver disease, alcohol addiction, or binge drinking history, and 65% of them were male.

The results showed that even adults without hypertension experienced a very steep increase in blood pressure over several years as their daily alcohol consumption increased. Furthermore, even a small daily amount of alcohol could raise blood pressure enough to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Each study recorded participants' usual alcohol consumption at the start and reviewed all participants' health data for over five years. The research team converted usual alcohol consumption into grams (g) of alcohol consumed per day. Using statistical methods, they combined results from multiple studies to assess the impact of alcohol intake on blood pressure changes.

(This photo is not related to the article) [Photo source=Pixabay]

The study found that people who consumed an average of 12 g of alcohol per day had their systolic blood pressure, a strong predictor of heart disease, increase by 1.25 mmHg, and their diastolic blood pressure rose by 1.14 mmHg.

Systolic blood pressure refers to the higher blood pressure, while diastolic blood pressure refers to the lower blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is defined as systolic 120 mmHg or below and diastolic 80 mmHg or below.

Alcohol 12 g corresponds to about 300 cc of beer (5% alcohol) or one and a half glasses of soju (18% alcohol). People who consumed an average of 48 g of alcohol per day saw their systolic blood pressure rise by 4.9 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 3.1 mmHg.

Notably, the association between alcohol consumption and blood pressure increase was observed only in men. Although no participants had hypertension at the start of the study, initial blood pressure measurements also influenced the blood pressure increase caused by alcohol consumption.

Regarding this, Dr. Paul Welton, co-author of the paper, president of the World Hypertension League (WHL), and chair of the Department of Global Public Health at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, stated, "The higher the blood pressure at the start of the study, the stronger the association between alcohol consumption and blood pressure changes."

He emphasized that although doctors recommend limiting alcohol, the better approach is to avoid alcohol altogether.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.