The Study
Evidence for a direct effect of alcohol consumption on blood pressure in normotensive men. A randomized controlled trial.
This study gave men less alcohol and saw their blood pressure go down, then gave them back their normal amount and saw it go up again. That means alcohol might be causing the rise in blood pressure—but only in these men, and only in this short time.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested if drinking less beer and alcohol makes your blood pressure go down.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 555 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1A 3–4 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure is clinically meaningful—it’s similar to the effect of some blood pressure medications.
- 2When men drank 80% less alcohol for 6 weeks, their top blood pressure number dropped by 3.8 mm Hg, and they lost 1.5–2.0 kg.
- 3Even after accounting for weight loss, their blood pressure still dropped by 3.1 mm Hg.
- 4When they went back to drinking normally, their blood pressure went up again.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Hypertension
Year
1985
Authors
I. Puddey, L. Beilin, R. Vandongen, I. Rouse, P. Rogers
Related Content
Claims (5)
When people who drink six or more units of alcohol per day cut their intake in half, their systolic blood pressure drops by about 5.5 mm Hg.
When men with normal blood pressure start drinking alcohol at their usual levels again after reducing it, their systolic blood pressure rises.
In normotensive men, reducing alcohol intake from about 350 ml to 70 ml of ethanol per week lowers systolic blood pressure by 3.1 mm Hg without changes in body weight, indicating alcohol directly raises blood pressure.
In normotensive men, reducing alcohol consumption from 336 ml of ethanol per week to 20% of that amount for six weeks results in a 3.8 mm Hg decrease in systolic blood pressure during the final two weeks and a reduction in diastolic blood pressure.
When normotensive men reduce their alcohol consumption, they lose about 1.5 to 2.0 kilograms of body weight, and this weight loss contributes to a drop in blood pressure; however, blood pressure continues to decrease even after accounting for the weight loss.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.