How does alcohol affect blood pressure?

How does alcohol affect blood pressure?
How does alcohol affect blood pressure?
Anonim

With increased blood pressure and a diagnosis of "hypertension", a person can live normally for many years, as long as he controls the indicators and takes the pills prescribed by the doctor, experts say. At first, hypertensives do not bother to count the calories consumed, and many of them are convinced that alcohol can even be useful for high blood pressure.

But both the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people limit alcohol consumption to lower high blood pressure. Still, can a hypertensive occasionally afford a nice drink?

Both yes and no, that's the short answer to this question from nutritionist Dr. Trista Best. When it comes to alcohol and chronic disease, the simplest answer is that you're better off abstaining from hard alcohol. But there are nuances. Let's see how alcohol affects hypertensives:

• It increases the production of the hormone renin, which causes blood vessels to constrict, says Dr. Best. Therefore, after a few glasses of alcohol, the blood vessels narrow much more than usual. And therefore the pressure on them increases, which also leads to an increase in blood pressure indicators.

• Alcohol also affects blood pressure through the level of the stress hormone cortisol.

• It can reduce the effect of the tablets the hypertensive takes or cause negative side effects.

• Among other things, alcohol helps to gain weight. And being overweight is always a cause of high blood pressure.

• Wine and beer – they contain empty calories, which can lead to weight gain and high blood pressure.

• You don't have to completely give up alcohol, as long as you stop in time.

• Moderate drinking means one drink of alcohol per day for women and two for men. It is important that the alcoholic drink is sugar-free, with a high content of resveratrol - an antioxidant that normalizes cholesterol levels, reduces inflammation and prevents damage to blood vessels. Such is, for example, dry red wine. It also contains the beneficial oxylans and polyphenols.

• Some time ago, scientists clarified that the intake of a small amount of alcohol for people over 40 is better than complete abstinence. But only if you are free of chronic diseases.

According to most doctors, even one dose of alcohol per day is already entering the zone of certain medical risk, and alcohol abuse is one of the leading causes of atrial fibrillation - the most common types of arrhythmia in clinical practice. Because:

• Any doses of alcohol increase blood pressure, triglyceride levels and body mass index, and alcohol abuse changes the function of all organs, especially the liver.

• Alcohol abuse increases the risk of bleeding, complicates the selection of the safe dose of anesthesia preparations during surgery.

• Alcohol has a toxic effect on the myocardium.

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