New research from Korea highlights the health risks of heavy drinking, especially among people with high blood pressure.
For 20 years, researchers followed 6,100 people who were at least 55 years old at the start of the study. Participants' blood pressure was measured at the beginning, and they told the researchers how much alcohol they drank and how often. The researchers defined binge drinking as having at least six drinks at a time, and heavy binge drinking as 12 or more drinks at a time.
They found that people with high blood pressure were more likely to be binge drinkers. Men who were binge drinkers and had blood pressure of at least 168/110 were four times more likely to die of a cardiovascular problem compared to people with normal blood pressure who didn't drink. For male binge drinkers with high blood pressure, the risk was 12 times higher. However, the risks were lower for people who were either heavy binge drinkers or had high blood pressure.
The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that people with hypertension know how alcohol affects their blood pressure. In some people, alcohol can cause blood pressure to leap. If you fall within this group, the organization recommends that you avoid alcohol. If it doesn't seem to affect your blood pressure, you should still limit your consumption to one drink daily if you're a woman, or two drinks daily if you're a man. One drink counts as a can of beer, a glass of wine, or a shot of liquor.
According to the Mayo Clinic, if you drink heavily and cut back to a moderate amount, your systolic blood pressure (the top number) may drop by two to four points, and your diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) may drop by one or two points.
According to the Mayo Clinic, if you drink heavily and cut back to a moderate amount, your systolic blood pressure (the top number) may drop by two to four points, and your diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) may drop by one or two points.
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to other problems, which may be particularly worrisome for people at higher risk of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. For starters, alcohol contains calories that you don't really need, which can contribute to extra pounds of body weight. Too much alcohol can also raise your levels of triglycerides, a type of blood fat.
In addition, if you're taking aspirin - which some people do to protect their heart health - alcohol can make you more likely to have stomach bleeding. And, of course, excessive drinking raises your risk of falls, auto accidents, and other injuries.
So if you're going to drink, go easy with it. Your heart - and the rest of your body - will thank you.
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