Are alcohol and high blood pressure linked? While drinking alcohol in moderation is usually fine, consuming too much can make hypertension worse. Moderate drinking usually means one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men. People who consume both alcohol and high blood pressure medicine should check with their doctor, since alcohol can have an adverse impact on the medicine's effectiveness.
Alcohol and High Blood Pressure: An Overview
On the other hand, drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure even more in those with already high blood pressure or cause a person with
normal blood pressure to develop hypertension. Too much alcohol also can harm the:
Alcohol and High Blood Pressure: What Is Moderate Drinking?
When healthcare providers recommend "moderate" drinking, they mean one drink a day for women; two drinks a day for men. Because the alcohol content in drinks may vary, what counts as one drink also varies. When healthcare providers talk about one drink, they are referring to one of the following examples:
- 12 ounces of beer
- 5 ounces of wine
- 1½ ounces of 80-proof whiskey or 1 ounce of 100-proof spirits.
Effects of Alcohol on High Blood Pressure
If a person is regularly drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol, reducing alcohol consumption will usually
lower blood pressure. The amount the blood pressure drops will vary based on a number of factors, including:
- How much the person drank
- His or her age
- Current blood pressure
- Other medical conditions.
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