Does Alcohol Consumption Cause Hypertension?

Posted on Sat, 31 Oct 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 1 Nov 2015 Answered on

Mon, 23 Nov 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I'm a 45 year old female with a BMI of 18.9. I exercise daily, do not smoke, and eat a healthy diet. That said, for the past year or so I've been indulging myself in red wine on almost a nightly basis sometimes as much as 2-3 glasses, as it helps me unwind after a long day. Last week I checked my BP and noticed it is higher than normal for me (usually about 110/70, at most), and can only assume this is from the alcohol consumption. I immediately ceased drinking and have not since. It's been almost four full days since I've had any wine, but my BP seems to be lingering around 120/90 (or higher) still, which has me very worried. How long does it generally take before the diastolic goes down once you've cut our alcohol from your routine?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
this is not concerning bp

Detailed Answer:
Hi and welcome.
First this is very good BP and systolic pressure is much more important that dyastolic. dyastolic may be up to 100 and still considered normal if systolic is fine.Systolic may be up to 140. Alcohol has no significant effect on dyastolic pressure so you dont need to expect some changes. Also,bp may vary +- 10-15 during the days and may be affected by food, fluids and stress. So I wouldnt do any measures for DBP of 90. You may eat less salty food and do regular exercise. Wish you good health. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T