Drinking even a small amount of alcohol can raise your blood pressure—and quitting might be the key to improving it.
That’s the finding of a major new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), which shows that even light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is linked with higher blood pressure (BP). The researchers also found that stopping or reducing drinking can lead to real improvements in blood pressure levels.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and other serious conditions. While it’s long been known that heavy drinking increases blood pressure, the effects of light or moderate drinking haven’t been well understood—especially for women.
Dr. Takahiro Suzuki and a team of researchers in Japan analyzed 359,717 annual health check-ups from nearly 59,000 adults between 2012 and 2024. Participants were asked about their alcohol intake, which was measured in standard drinks per day. Researchers then tracked changes in blood pressure over time.
The study included two groups: people who were already drinking and those who weren’t. For people who quit drinking, blood pressure decreased—especially among those who had been drinking one to two drinks per day.
Women who stopped drinking saw their systolic BP drop by 0.78 mmHg and their diastolic BP drop by 1.14 mmHg. For men, those numbers were 1.03 mmHg and 1.62 mmHg, respectively.
In contrast, those who began drinking during the study period experienced increases in their blood pressure. Interestingly, the type of drink didn’t matter—beer, wine, and spirits all had the same effect. It was the amount of alcohol, not the kind, that mattered most.
“This study clearly shows that when it comes to blood pressure, less is better,” said Dr. Suzuki. “Even low levels of drinking can raise your risk, so cutting back—or quitting—can be a smart move for heart health.”
Dr. Harlan Krumholz, Editor-in-Chief of JACC, added that the results challenge the long-standing belief that a little alcohol is harmless or even good for the heart.
However, the researchers cautioned that their study was observational. That means it can’t prove that alcohol directly causes the changes in blood pressure. People self-reported how much they drank, which could lead to small errors, and most of the study participants were from urban areas in Japan, so the results might not apply to everyone.
Still, the message is clear: even a little alcohol might be doing more harm than good—especially for your blood pressure.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies that turmeric and vitamin D may boost blood pressure control in type 2 diabetes and scientists find link between blood pressure drugs and bowel diseases.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about high blood pressure treatment: ARBs vs. ACE inhibitors and blood pressure response to exercise can predict future heart disease.
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