Regularly Drinking Alcohol Could Raise Your Blood Pressure
Drinking just one alcoholic beverage a day may contribute to higher blood pressure compared with not drinking at all, a recent study has found. Each additional alcoholic drink per day also corresponded with increasingly higher blood pressure levels.
“We were somewhat surprised to see that consuming an already-low level of alcohol was also linked to higher blood pressure changes over time compared to no consumption,” said Marco Vinceti, M.D., Ph.D., senior study author, “although far less than the blood pressure increase seen in heavy drinkers.”
Researchers analyzed 7 international research studies that involved nearly 20,000 participants without high blood pressure at baseline and health data that spanned at least 5 years. Overall, alcohol had the biggest impact on systolic blood pressure, which is the top blood pressure number and a major risk factor for heart disease.
“Alcohol is certainly not the sole driver of increases in blood pressure; however, our findings confirm it contributes in a meaningful way,” said Vinceti. “Limiting alcohol intake is advised, and avoiding it is even better.”
Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Increased Body Fat
Long-term consumption of the artificial sweeteners aspartame and saccharin has been linked to increased fat stores in the abdomen, according to a new study. Another artificial sweetener, sucralose, was not specifically linked to increased fat stores, but regular consumption of diet beverages was.
“This study showed that habitual, long-term intake of total and individual artificial sweetener intakes are related to greater volumes of adipose tissue, commonly known as body fat,” said Brian Steffen, PhD, MSCR, a study author. “This was found even after accounting for other factors, including how much a person eats or the quality of one's diet.”
The study involved data from over 3,000 adults who provided diet information over a 20-year period and underwent periodic health examinations. It comes shortly after an announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring aspartame a possible human carcinogen.
“These findings underscore the importance of finding alternatives to artificial sweeteners in foods and beverages,” said Lyn Steffen, PhD, MPH, lead study author, “especially since these added sweeteners may have negative health consequences.”
