A new international study has revealed that even small amounts of alcohol can raise your blood pressure—and cutting back or quitting drinking altogether may lead to meaningful improvements.
The findings were published in the journal JACC, from the American College of Cardiology, and presented at a major cardiology conference in Germany.
High blood pressure (also called hypertension) is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Doctors already recommend limiting alcohol intake as part of a healthy lifestyle, but until now, the effects of light-to-moderate drinking—especially in women—haven’t been clearly understood.
The study, led by Dr. Takahiro Suzuki from St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo, looked at nearly 360,000 annual health check-up records from over 58,000 Japanese adults between 2012 and 2024. The researchers wanted to know what happens to blood pressure when people start or stop drinking alcohol.
Participants were placed into two groups: people who were already drinking regularly and people who weren’t. Researchers then tracked changes in blood pressure when these individuals either stopped or started drinking.
Among people who quit drinking, blood pressure went down. Women who had been drinking one to two drinks a day saw their top blood pressure number (systolic) drop by about 0.78 mmHg and their bottom number (diastolic) drop by 1.14 mmHg. Men saw slightly bigger drops: 1.03 mmHg and 1.62 mmHg.
On the other hand, people who started drinking after not drinking before experienced higher blood pressure. This trend was seen in both men and women, showing a clear link between drinking and blood pressure.
Importantly, the type of alcohol—whether beer, wine, or spirits—didn’t seem to matter. The key factor was the amount of alcohol consumed, not what kind.
Dr. Suzuki explained, “When it comes to blood pressure, less alcohol is better. In fact, our study suggests that no alcohol is best. Even small reductions in drinking can lead to real benefits for your heart health.”
Dr. Harlan Krumholz, Editor-in-Chief of *JACC*, added that the findings challenge long-held beliefs that a little alcohol is harmless. “These results suggest that even low levels of drinking could contribute to high blood pressure. Cutting back could be a real way to help prevent or manage hypertension.”
There are a few limitations to the study. It was observational, so it can’t prove cause and effect for sure. Alcohol intake was self-reported, which means people might not always have reported accurately. Also, since the study group was mostly urban Japanese adults, the results might not apply the same way to everyone around the world.
Still, the message is clear: if you’re looking for a simple way to improve your blood pressure, reducing or quitting alcohol might help. With rising rates of heart disease, even small changes in habits can make a big difference.
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The study is published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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