Alcohol & Low Diastolic Blood Pressure

People are constantly being warned that consuming alcohol can be dangerous. Alcohol can have an impact on brain function, liver, weight and blood pressure. Some believe the consumption of alcohol can lower diastolic blood pressure.

Definition

• Blood pressure is measured with two numbers. The first number is the systolic number. The systolic number is the pressure of the blood when the heart is beating. The second number is the diastolic number. The diastolic number is the pressure of the blood when the heart is relaxed.

Facts

• According to High Blood Pressure.com, many studies show that alcohol and blood pressure are related. Most of these studies actually suggest that alcohol increases blood pressure. Around 7 percent of all high blood pressure cases could be linked to alcohol consumption and 25 percent of hypertension cases are related to alcohol.

Misconception

• One of the reasons why people believe alcohol can lead to lower blood pressure is because of a study done by the Internal Archive of Medicine. The results suggest that alcohol lowers the diastolic blood pressure, but the study was limited to a very small number of people and the study was only for a 24-hour period.

Risk

• If most of the studies are correct and alcohol increases blood pressure, drinking alcohol can be very dangerous. High blood pressure can damage arteries, heart, brain and kidneys. Often, there are no warning sings for high blood pressure. That is why high blood pressure is known as "the silent killer."

Treatment

• Steps can be taken to lower blood pressure. Eating a better diet, exercising more often and taking certain medication can all lower blood pressure. Another way to avoid high blood pressure is to limit the amount of alcohol you consume.