A new study suggests that drinking just one drink a day can increase blood pressure, a significant health concern. Researchers found that routinely drinking, even in small quantities, can increase a person's blood pressure, putting extra strain on blood vessels, the heart, and other organs. High blood pressure can lead to serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes, and vascular dementia. The study, which analyzed data from seven studies in the United States, Japan, and Korea, found that blood pressure increased in line with alcohol consumption and rose higher the more a person consumed. The researchers were surprised to find an increase in blood pressure from low levels of consumption.
The study found no beneficial effects in adults who drank a low level of alcohol compared to those who did not drink alcohol. They were surprised to see that consuming an already low level of alcohol was also linked to higher blood pressure changes over time compared to no consumption – although far less than the blood pressure increase seen in heavy drinkers. Alcohol is not the sole driver of increases in blood pressure, but the findings confirm it contributes in a meaningful way.
The NHS guidelines advise both men and women not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. Data showed that small amounts of alcohol led to elevated blood pressure for all individuals, but those with already high blood pressure saw greater increases linked to alcohol. This suggests that people with a trend towards increased – although still not 'high' – blood pressure may benefit the most from low to no alcohol consumption.
