Although excessive alcohol intake can pose several health problems, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol can have several health benefits, including reducing the risk of arthritis and dementia. However, research also suggests that alcohol intake of any amount might raise blood pressure and increase the risk of hypertension.
Increases Risk of Hypertension
Scientists from Kyushu University in Japan investigated the effects of alcohol consumption on increased risk of hypertension in Japanese women and men. In the report, which was published in the April 2006 issue of the journal "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research," lead author Susumu Ohmori and colleagues discovered that light and moderate drinkers increased their risk of developing hypertension compared to non-drinkers. Researchers stated that light drinking was less than 23 g per day whereas moderate drinking was defined as 23 to 45 g per day.
Increases Blood Pressure
Researchers from Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine F2 in Japan studied the effects of light to moderate drinking on blood pressure in Japanese male office workers. At the end of the study, which was reported in the April 2006 issue of the journal "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research," lead investigator Noriyuki Nakanishi and researchers found that light to moderate alcohol consumption increased blood pressure in both young and middle age Japanese men.
ALDH2 Genetic Mutations
In research reported in the March 2008 issue of the journal PLoS One, lead author Dr. Sarah Lewis and colleagues from the University of Bristol investigated the impact of genetic mutations of alcohol dehydrohensae 2, or ALDH2, an enzyme that plays a role in alcohol metabolism, on the risk of hypertension. Individuals with the mutation *2 *2 of ALDH2 cannot metabolize alcohol correctly, which causes symptoms such as intense nausea and headaches. People with this mutation consume less alcohol than those without the mutation. Researchers discovered that subjects with *1 *1 genotype, which doesn't have the mutation, had higher alcohol intakes and higher blood pressure levels compared to subjects with *2 *2 genotype.
Binge Drinking
Dr. Heechoul Ohrr and colleagues from Yonsei University College of Medicine in South Korea studied the effects of binge drinking, defined as consuming 6 or more drinks on one occasion, on the risk of cardiovascular death. They discovered that men with high blood pressure who binge drink significantly increased their risk of cardiovascular death compared to non-drinkers with normal blood pressure levels. Scientists reported their findings in the August 2010 issue of the journal "Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association."
References
- Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research: Alcohol Intake and Future Incidence of Hypertension in a General Japanese Population: The Hisayama Study
- Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research: Relationship of Light to Moderate Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Hypertension in Japanese Male Office Workers
- Science Daily: Alcohol Intake Increases Risk Of Hypertension, High Blood Pressure In Certain Populations
- Science Daily: Binge Drinking Increases Death Risk in Men With High Blood Pressure
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