A research review from 2022 analyzed studies that gave participants with hypertension 70–250 milliliters (mL) of beetroot juice per day for 3–60 days. In the case of performance bias, we classified six studies as having low risk of bias, 19 studies as having high risk of bias, and seven studies as having unclear 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.
Bau 2005 and Bau 2011 mentioned only that investigators and volunteers were blinded to the content of the drink but did not mention the method of blinding used in these studies. Karatzi 2005 mentioned the method of blinding of participants, but it is not clear whether involved personnel were blinded as well. The method of blinding of participants and personnel was not mentioned in Dumont 2010, Mahmud 2002, and Maule 1993.
Alcohol has been shown to slow down parasympathetic nervous activity and to stimulate sympathetic nervous activity. Hering 2011, Carter 2011, and Spaak 2008 reported an increase in muscle sympathetic nervous activity (MSNA), which persists for at least 10 hours after consumption. The vagus nerve is a component of the parasympathetic nervous system and is largely responsible for regulation of the heart rate at rest. Rossinen 1997 and Van De Borne 1997 reported withdrawal of vagal tone and reduced heart rate variability within an hour after alcohol consumption; this explains the increased heart rate. Buckman 2015, Van De Borne 1997, and Fazio 2001 also reported reduced baroreflex sensitivity following alcohol consumption.
Below are four major factors that influence alcohol’s effect on blood pressure. Other ethanol-induced changes may be related to enzymes that modulate protein synthesis and/or breakdown (e.g., ubiquitine-ligases). MTOR regulates cell growth, proliferation, motility, and survival; protein synthesis; and amphetamine addiction treatment transcription (Donohue 2009).
We created a funnel plot using the mean difference (MD) from studies reporting effects of medium doses and high doses of alcohol on SBP, DBP, MAP, and HR against standard error (SE) of the MD to check for the existence of publication bias. Visual inspection of funnel plots shows that the effect estimate is equally distributed around the mean in Figure 4, Figure 5, Figure 6. In Figure 9, Figure 10, and Figure 11, we observed slight asymmetry in the funnel https://www.ioliteai.com/2025/01/21/celebrating-sobriety-top-24-gift-ideas-for-someone-3/ plot that was probably due to heterogeneity rather than to publication bias. We noted some overlap of data points in some funnel plots, indicating that some of the included studies were of similar size. According to Chapter 10 of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Higgins 2011), a funnel plot asymmetry test should not be used if all studies are of similar size.
Based on nine RCTs in which participants consumed alcohol repeatedly over days, these review authors reported that alcohol increases SBP by 2.7 mmHg and DBP by 1.4 mmHg. However, they excluded studies for which the duration of BP observation was less than 24 hours and articles published in non‐English languages. We believe that inclusion of those studies will provide useful information about the dose‐related magnitude and time‐course effect of alcohol on blood pressure in people with both normal and elevated blood pressure. Subclinical cardiac damage in hypertensive patients is characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy and early onset of diastolic dysfunction. Early general population studies suggested a possible association of alcohol consumption with left ventricular hypertrophy, that was more prominent in men than women, and appeared to vary according to the beverage type 61. The same association was subsequently reported in a rural Chinese population in whom Yang et al. observed that left ventricular mass was directly related to the amount and frequency of alcohol consumption 62.
Zero-proof beers and dealcoholized wines offer more options for social drinking minus the alcohol. Or simply add extra ice and soda water to alcoholic drinks to help does alcohol decrease blood pressure slow your pace and cut the strength. All amounts caused an increase in heart rate within 6 hours of consumption. Since the kidneys excrete a tenth of ingested alcohol, toxicity in these organs is expected, which could enhance inflammation and renal damage in hypertensive patients.
One study ‐ Nishiwaki 2017 (a single‐blinded study) ‐ ensured participant blinding but not blinding of outcome assessors. Karatzi 2005, Mahmud 2002, Maule 1993, and Potter 1986 did not mention the method of blinding of outcome assessors. Even though Dumont 2010 mentioned blinding of outcome assessors, it is not clear whether blinding of outcome assessment was maintained in the case of blood pressure and heart rate measurements. We used Cochrane review manager software for all data analyses (Review Manager (RevMan)).
Alcohol increases blood levels of the hormone renin, which causes the blood vessels to constrict. Over time, heavy drinking can cloud your perception of distances and volumes, or slow and impair your motor skills. But if you quit, your brain seems to be able to regain some of these abilities.
