What exactly is the connection between alcohol and hypertension?? For a number of years it has been recognized that there is an increased incidence of hypertension in people with high alcohol consumption.? However it has also been noted that the French eat a diet containing as much as, if not more, fat than ours giving them similar levels of cholesterol; but four times as many Britons die of heart disease than do Frenchmen.? This difference is often referred to as the French Paradox and doctors have long suspected that it is caused by something present in red wine that protected the heart.?
As long as 30 years ago, The Framingham Heart Study provided evidence suggesting that alcohol can protect the heart.? Since that time several other large studies have confirmed this.? Obviously there is a reluctance to recommend alcohol consumption because of the well-known consequences of excessive drinking.? Moderation would seem to be the answer.? Studies have shown that both men and women who drink light to moderate amounts of alcohol per day live longer than those who don’t drink at all.? However, drinking larger amounts of alcohol has more harmful effects on the body than benefits.
It would seem that part of the reason for this is that alcohol increases the levels of “good” cholesterol and that moderate alcohol consumption may help improve insulin resistance.? There is a school of thought though that suggests that?it is not just moderate alcohol that helps in protecting your heart, but that the type of alcohol that you drink also is a contributory factor.? A recent study has suggested that moderate drinkers who didn’t drink red wine reduced their risk of mortality by 10% but those who drank moderate amounts of red wine reduced their risk by 30%.
It has been agreed by doctors and scientist alike that something in red wine does indeed help the heart.? Recent research has found that a substance called resveratrol which is found in the skin of grapes could be the key ingredient that not only reduces “bad” cholesterol but also helps to prevent damage to blood vessels. Some red wines, notably those with high tannin content, also contain high levels of a plant chemical called procyanadin.? Previous research has shown that drinking wine high in procyanadin protects against atherosclerosis which in turn improves the elasticity of the blood vessels thus reducing blood pressure.
No one would recommend that you start drinking alcohol just to prevent heart disease.? Too much alcohol increases your risk of high blood pressure, liver damage, certain types of cancer etc.? However moderate drinking, i.e. 2 units per day for men and 1 a day for women, has been shown to improve heart health and so reduce your blood pressure.
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