This is not surprising, because mitochondria are a major target for free-radical injury. Dysfunctional mitochondria are less efficient, can become a source of ROS, and are more likely to initiate apoptosis (Marzetti et al. 2013). A person should speak to their doctor if they have concerns about their blood pressure or alcohol intake. Various drinks may help a person reduce their blood pressure, such as tea or beetroot juice. A person who has hypertension should avoid consuming too much caffeine or soda. A study from 2023 found that tea consumption could help reduce a person’s risk of hypertension by 10%.
World Hypertension Day 2024: Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer.
Evidence of oxidative stress is found after short periods of alcohol consumption (2 to 18 weeks), at least in animal models. These data suggest that antioxidant defense mechanisms that attempt to protect the heart against oxidative damage appear to be initiated soon after drinking alcohol. Also, as noted below, data from other studies demonstrate the protective role of administered antioxidants, such as a synthetic compound that mimics the native superoxide Top 5 Advantages of Staying in a Sober Living House dismutase enzyme, called a superoxide dismutase mimetic. This suggests a direct or indirect role for ethanol-mediated oxidative stress in the heart (Jiang et al. 2012; Tan et al. 2012). Results from another meta-analysis of 12 cohort studies found a similar dose–response relationship between alcohol consumption and HTN for males. A J-shaped relationship for females showed protective effects at or below consumption levels of 15 g/day (Taylor et al. 2009).
Kaul 2010 published data only
We did not consider the lack of blinding of participants as a downgrading factor for certainty of evidence because we do not think that it affected the outcomes of this systematic review. Changes in blood pressure and heart rate after alcohol consumption were not the primary outcomes of interest in most of the included studies. We do not think participants were anticipating any significant influence on blood pressure or heart rate after drinking. Similarly, we found no difference in overall mortality, cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular events. No data on serious adverse events or quality of life were available for assessment. To assess the effect of any intervention to reduce alcohol intake in terms of blood pressure decrease in hypertensive people with alcohol consumption compared to a control intervention or no intervention at all.
Ueshima 1993 published data only
Although results related to levels of alcohol consumption and stroke events are less clear, some conclusions can be drawn. Approximately 1 to 2 drinks per day may have no effect on or lead to a slight reduction in stroke events; however, greater daily alcohol levels increase the risk for all stroke events and incident stroke types. In terms of stroke subtypes, https://thefremontdigest.com/top-5-advantages-of-staying-in-a-sober-living-house/ compared with nondrinkers, current alcohol drinkers have an increased risk (~14 percent) for hemorrhagic stroke (Ronksley et al. 2011). Older studies had shown potential benefits of moderate drinking of red wine, but more recently it has been proven that no level of alcohol consumption is considered safe, or can reduce the risk of hypertension.
- In 16th-century Scotland, apothecaries sold whiskey as a tonic to slow aging, cure congestion, and relieve joint pain.
- We contacted the study authors for missing or unclear information relevant to the review using contact information provided in their respective articles.
- Hence in most of the countries, there are significant gaps in diagnosis and treatment coverage, with low-income countries facing the major brunt of illness.
- Alcohol intake management in a hypertensive context is a matter of high concern, which has been explicitly tackled by some observational studies (Larsson 2016) and also mentioned in hypertension guidelines (Hypertension Canada 2018).
Keeping high blood pressure under control requires early diagnosis, early and effective treatment alongside lifestyle modifications to address behavioural risk factors. Hypertension is considered ‘controlled’ when the systolic blood pressure (BP) is maintained below 140 mmHg and diastolic BP below 90 mmHg, with medications and lifestyle modifications. The newest evidence suggests benefits for heart health of drinking alcohol are less and apply to a smaller group ofthe population than previously thought. The only group who might see some benefit overall in the UK is women over the age of 55, but and even then only at low levels of drinking – around 5 units a week or less. The primary outcomes in PATHS 1998 were to ascertain changes in blood pressure and to analyse whether the reduction in alcohol intake could be achieved in six months and maintained for two years.
Personnel were blinded instead of participants in Karatzi 2013, and neither personnel nor participants were blinded in Agewall 2000, so we assessed these studies as having high risk of bias. We conducted a standard Chi² test through Review Manager Software 5.3 to test for heterogeneity (Review Manager (RevMan)). A P value of 0.1 or less was considered to show statistically significant heterogeneity. The I² statistic was used to interpret the level of heterogeneity (Higgins 2011). For the purposes of this review, if I² was greater than 50%, it was considered to show a substantial level of heterogeneity.
