With people looking to lower blood pressure through diet and without medications, the question, “does alcohol affect blood pressure” begs to be answered. In an effort to do just that, a group of medical professionals in 2001 conducted an in depth study of alcohol and hypertension.

The study was a meta-analysis, funded largely by the National Institutes of Health, which reviewed 14 high quality published medical studies which included over 2,200 patients. They statistically analyzed the results to discover not just if alcohol affects blood pressure, but how much it affects blood pressure as well. All of the trials were conducted in adults age 27 to 57 and they lasted an average of 8 weeks. (Xue 2001)

The results were that over half of the trials reported statistically significant reductions in systolic blood pressure. When individuals who normally consumed between 3 and 6 alcoholic drinks per day reduced their consumption by 67%, they experienced an average drop in their systolic blood pressure of 3.31 mmHg and 2.04 mmHg diastolic. These results were unaffected by whether the individual did or did not have hypertension. (Xue 2001)

Since all of the studies focused on heavy drinkers there is still some uncertainty as to the effect of moderate alcohol consumption. (Xue 2001)The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure recommends that individuals, “Limit consumption to no more than 2 drinks (1 oz or 30 mL ethanol; e.g., 24 oz beer, 10 oz wine, or 3 oz 80-proof whiskey) per day in most men and to no more than 1 drink per day in women and lighter weight persons.”(2003)

SOURCES:

The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (2003). Hypertension. 2003;42:1206

Xue Xin; Jiang He; Maria G. Frontini; Lorraine G. Ogden; Oaitse I. Motsamai; Paul K. Whelton. (2001) Effects of Alcohol Reduction on Blood Pressure. Hypertension. 2001;38:1112.