For years experts have touted moderate alcohol consumption as protective against heart disease. But a new study finds that just seven to 13 drinks a week can drive up blood pressure.
Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
The study, which examined the health records of more than 17,000 U.S. adults, found that people who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol were more than twice as likely as nondrinkers to develop a more severe form of hypertension.“If you are drinking moderately you should probably ask your physician or provider to check your blood pressure at each visit,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Amer Aladin, a cardiovascular medicine fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Health.
Participants were divided into five groups, which depended on the level of alcohol consumption: abstainers; former drinkers; those who consumed one to six drinks a week; those who consumed seven to 13 drinks a week; and heavy drinkers who consumed 14 or more drinks a week. After accounting for factors such as age, sex, race, smoking status, physical activity BMI, cholesterol, and diabetes, the researchers found that compared to nondrinkers, moderate drinkers were 1.5 times more likely to develop stage 1 hypertension and twice as likely to develop stage 2 hypertension. Heavy drinkers were 2.5 times more likely to develop severe hypertension than nondrinkers.Because the study was observational, it doesn't prove cause and effect.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
With Fox, Disney will have an even bigger footprint in HollywoodDisney’s long anticipated $71.3-billion acquisition of Fox will put the X-Men, Homer Simpson, the Avengers, Buzz Lightyear and Kylo Ren under the same roof, giving the Burbank company an unprecedented share of film and television franchises, and increasing leverage in Hollywood.
Read more »
There Are 66 Books In The Bible, But Can You Name Even 15?I hope you've been paying attention at bible study, Sunday school, vacation bible school, and uh...everywhere else.
Read more »
Why the next round of India-Pakistan hostilities could be even scarierA recent skirmish points to a changing security dynamic in South Asia, where India appears more willing to take military action against its neighbor, and Pakistan faces growing isolation internationally for failing to rein in militant groups.
Read more »
Astonishingly, Labour seems in even worse shape than the ToriesJeremy Corbyn keeps missing chances to take the lead over the government
Read more »
Almost 40% of Americans want a third political party, even if they don't like the candidatesEven if they're down on the independent candidates being presented to them, nearly 40% of Americans think a third political party is needed to fix the political system and another 47% think it needs improvements, according to a new poll.
Read more »
Review: ‘Captain Marvel’ and Brie Larson boost the MCU to even greater heightsReview: Marvel's 'Captain Marvel' is finally here, and thanks to star Brie Larson and directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, it is definitely worth the wait.
Read more »