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Regular drinking is known to raise blood pressure in some people, but the effect may depend largely on age and cholesterol levels, a study of Japanese men suggests.
The study found men in their 50s, unlike younger men, who drank even moderate amounts of alcohol generally had higher blood pressure than non-drinkers. Among men in their 20s, only heavy drinkers showed elevated blood pressure, and even then the effect depended on a man's levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.
In contrast, HDL levels had no bearing on the blood-pressure effects of alcohol in older men.
The findings suggest older men's blood pressure is more sensitive to drinking, according to study author Dr Ichiro Wakabayashi, of Hyogo College of Medicine in Japan.
Still, that doesn't mean that older men should universally abstain from alcohol, said Dr Wakabayashi. Though drinking can boost blood pressure, moderate amounts of alcohol also have heart-protecting effects, he explained.
Besides raising heart-healthy HDL levels, modest drinking may help lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and inhibit blood clotting.
However older drinkers who see none of the HDL benefits, but do have higher-than-normal blood pressure, may want to cut back. For the study, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, Dr Wakabayashi used data from more than 21,000 men in their 20s and 50s who underwent periodic workplace health exams. The men reported on their average weekly drinking habits.
Those who drank less than 30g of alcohol per day - roughly equivalent to three drinks - were considered light-to-moderate drinkers.
Men who drank more were considered heavy drinkers.
- Reuters
