When consumed in excess, alcohol can have a number of damaging effects on the body. Liver disease and high blood pressure are two conditions affected by alcohol intake. Alcohol can have temporary and long-term effects on your blood pressure. Knowing how it impacts your health can help you take steps to consume it in acceptable amounts.
Blood Flow
The chief way alcohol raises your blood pressure is by affecting the way blood flows in your body. When you drink more than one to two drinks -- the limits are based on your gender and age -- the alcohol levels build up in your blood because your kidneys may not be able to filter the alcohol out fast enough. The added alcohol pushes nutrient-rich blood away from your heart. This means your heart has to work harder to resist alcohol's push and bring nutrient-rich blood back to the heart.
Immediate vs. Long-Term Effects
Alcohol's effect on blood flow means drinking excessively in one sitting can temporarily increase blood pressure. However, someone who drinks excessively several times a week for an extended time period -- months to years, depending upon your individual liver function -- can send his body into a chronic state of high blood pressure. Cutting back on alcohol has been shown to reduce systolic blood pressure -- the top number in a blood pressure reading -- by 2 to 4 mm Hg and by 1 to 2 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure -- the bottom number on a blood pressure reading.
Weight Gain
Alcohol contains empty calories, meaning it has calories with little nutritional value. Alcohol also stimulates your appetite, which means you may eat more. Both factors can lead to weight gain. Because obesity is a risk factor for high blood pressure, drinking alcohol may affect your waistline and blood pressure.
Recommendations
Because drinking too much alcohol in one sitting can temporarily boost your blood pressure, establish acceptable limits for your intake. Dr. Sheldon Sheps, a Mayo Clinic physician, recommends the following levels for moderate intake: two drinks per day for men younger than 65 and one drink per day for women of any age. Men older than 65 should have only one drink per day due to slower liver function. One drink is equal to 12 oz. of beer, 5 oz. of wine or 1.5 oz. of liquor that is 80-proof or higher.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Alcohol: Does It Affect Blood Pressure?; Dr. Sheldon G. Sheps; July 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center; High Blood Pressure: Tips to Stop the Silent Killer; December 2010
- eMedTV; Alcohol and Blood Pressure; Dr. Arthur Schoenstadt; March 2009
- Science Daily; Alcohol Intake Increases Risk of Hypertension, High Blood Pressure in Certain Populations; March 2008
