Alcohols Effects on the Cardiovascular System PMC

It is important to note that information regarding the method of allocation concealment used in Foppa 2002 and Rosito 1999 was provided by the study author via email. We also contacted Hering 2011, but the study author did not explicitly mention in the email the method of allocation concealment used. For multi‐arm trials, if a study reported more than one intervention arm, we identified the relevant intervention arm and included that in the review. If studies reported more than one placebo group, we combined them into a single group when appropriate, using the formulae for combining groups reported in Chapter 7 of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Higgins 2011).

Health Categories to Explore

So, your system prioritizes getting rid of alcohol before it can turn its attention to its other work. You probably already know that excessive drinking can affect you in more ways than one. Vijaya Musini (VM) contributed to data analysis, interpretation of the final result, and editing of the final draft of the review. James M Wright (JMW) formulated the idea, developed the basis of the protocol, and contributed to data analysis, interpretation of the final result, and editing of the final draft of the review.

• Drinking alcohol in moderation is unlikely to have harmful effects on your blood pressure, but overdoing it can cause your pressure to rise.
• We did not identify enough studies to construct a funnel plot for the outcomes under low doses of alcohol.
• Drinking elevates our blood levels of a hormone called renin, which can cause blood vessels to narrow.
• Proper management of hypertension can lead to reduction in cardiovascular complications and mortality (Kostis 1997; SHEP 1991; Staessen 1999).
• Dysfunctional mitochondria are less efficient, can become a source of ROS, and are more likely to initiate apoptosis (Marzetti et al. 2013).
• If you continue to drink, alcohol may reduce the effectiveness of these medications or even cause a serious medical interaction.

Moreira 1998 published data only

The study authors are now focusing on other interventions — such as meditation or exercise — that might lower the brain’s stress activity without the potentially harmful effects of alcohol. Through the process of oxidative phosphorylation, the mitochondria generate ~90 percent of cellular ATP. In cardiomyocyte mitochondria as well as other mitochondrial types, such imbalances could lead to further decreases in cellular respiration and oxidative phosphorylation. Mechanisms related to the positive and adverse effects of alcohol on cardiovascular conditions, such as coronary heart disease and stroke as well as cardiomyopathy. Different mechanisms may be in effect depending on the dose, duration, and pattern of alcohol consumption.

Ways alcohol can impact heart health

Moderate‐certainty evidence indicates an increase in heart rate after 7 to 12 hours and ≥ 13 hours after high‐dose alcohol consumption, low certainty of evidence was found for moderate dose of alcohol consumption. This review summarises the acute effects of different doses of alcohol on blood pressure and heart rate in adults (≥ 18 years of age) during three different time intervals after ingestion of alcohol. For low doses of alcohol, we found that one glass of alcohol had little to no effect on blood pressure and increased heart rate within six hours of drinking. It is a common substance of abuse and its use can lead to more than 200 disorders including hypertension. This review aimed to quantify the acute effects of different doses of alcohol over time on blood pressure and heart rate in an adult population.

Acute administration of alcohol stimulates the release of histamine and endorphin, which interferes with baroreflex sensitivity (Carretta 1988). Two review authors (ST and CT) independently extracted data and assessed the quality of included studies. Mean difference (MD) from placebo with 95% confidence interval (CI) was the outcome measure, and a fixed‐effect model was used to combine effect sizes across studies. Each study had to meet strict eligibility criteria, allowing researchers to focus on participants with no previous history of cardiovascular disease. Some people may be able to continue to drink alcohol in low amounts if they have high blood pressure.

Carrying extra weight and experiencing obesity is another factor that can increase blood pressure in kids, Dr. Davis adds. Holiday heart syndrome can happen if you don’t typically drink alcohol, but then have a few at a holiday party or if you binge drink. This can cause what does alcohol do to your blood pressure you to develop an irregular heartbeat, called atrial fibrillation, which can increase your risk of stroke, heart attack and heart failure. A lot of people shouldn’t drink at all for specific reasons — family history of alcoholism or heart or liver disease, he says.

• Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health, plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise, pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.
• The study author explained the blinding method in detail in an email, so we classified this study as having low risk of bias.
• Because of space limitations, not all of the excellent scientific work on alcohol and the cardiovascular system could be assessed in this review.

A population‐based study showed that the incidence of hypertension is higher in African descendants (36%) than in Caucasians (21%) (Willey 2014). Proper management of hypertension can lead to reduction in cardiovascular complications and mortality (Kostis 1997; SHEP 1991; Staessen 1999). A 2022 study showed a link between moderate drinking (eight to 16 drinks per week) and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, but specifically among people who drank alcohol with meals.

To Drink or Not to Drink: High Blood Pressure and Alcohol

It is important to note that 2 out of 19 studies were single‐blinded (Agewall 2000; Karatzi 2013). Personnel were blinded instead of participants in Karatzi 2013, and neither personnel nor participants were blinded in Agewall 2000, so we assessed these studies as having high risk of bias. We contacted the study authors for missing or unclear information relevant to the review using contact information provided in their respective articles. If the dose of a study was not reported in the article and the study author did not respond to our request, we excluded that study. You can reduce hypertension by reducing your alcohol intake and following the treatment plan that your doctor recommends.

This new research about blood pressure in kids was led by Ahlia Sekkarie, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although the research is preliminary and has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, Dr. Sekkarie’s results were presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions https://ecosoberhouse.com/ in Chicago on September 6, 2024. Here, we’ll take a closer look at the research, and what parents need to know about high blood pressure in kids, including impacts, treatments, and prevention. Drinking a lot of alcohol can affect the muscles in your blood vessels. The best way of knowing if there’s a problem is to have your blood pressure measured.