A large-scale Danish study found that the more alcohol you drink, be it beer, wine or hard liquor, the higher your blood pressure. More than 104,000 adults underwent health checks and answered questions about their drinking habits. Nearly three-quarters said they drank two or more types of alcohol. About 13% said they drank only red wine, about 5% only beer, about 2% only white wine, and 1% only spirits (such as vodka or whiskey) or dessert wine.
The majority drank 3-14 drinks per week, with less than 3% drinking 35 or more drinks per week. However, the mean blood pressure of these heavy drinkers was significantly higher than that of those who drank only 1-2 drinks per week, with the first measure (systolic blood pressure) and the second measure (diastolic blood pressure) being 11 and 7 points higher, respectively. In both men and women, there was a strong graded association between alcohol intake and blood pressure, regardless of the type of alcohol consumed. The study results were published online on May 13, 2024. American Journal of Medicine.
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