If you have high blood pressure, it may be wise not to drink alcohol at all, even in moderate amounts. Drinking alcohol within the recommended guidelines for moderate drinking may increase blood pressure more than previously believed, according to researchers at the University of Bristol in London, England.

The researchers, led by Dr. Sarah Lewis, examined people with a genetic mutation that makes it difficult for them to drink alcohol, compared with a group of people who had about three drinks a day -- those considered modest drinkers.

The researchers found that those without the mutation who drank moderately had "strikingly" higher blood pressure that the group with the mutation.

Increased Blood Pressure

"This study shows that alcohol intake may increase blood pressure to a much greater extent, even among moderate drinkers, than previously thought," said Dr. Lewis in a news release. "Large-scale replication studies are required to confirm this finding and to improve the precision of our estimates."

Some people have a genetic mutation that makes it difficult or impossible to metabolize alcohol. When they try to drink they experience unpleasant symptoms, such as facial flushing, intense nausea, drowsiness and headache. The mutation is common in Asian populations.

Therefore, people who have the mutation drink very little or no alcohol, making them an ideal control group for Dr. Lewis' study.

Dr. Lewis found there was more than a two-fold risk for high blood pressure among drinkers and a 70 percent increased risk for "quite modest" drinkers compared to people with the genetic mutation.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can lead to stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure.

More Information:

• Alcohol and Blood Pressure
  
• Alcohol's Health Effects
  
• About High Blood Pressure

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