One Thing Red Wine Cant Do
Study: It Doesnât Lower Blood Pressure, but Does It Still Help the Heart?
Red wine and heart health have long been linked, with studies suggesting a glass or two a day lowers heart disease risk.
The heart-healthy benefits are often credited to antioxidants called polyphenols. Experts have different opinions, however, about exactly how the polyphenols may benefit the heart.
Now, Dutch researchers have found that the polyphenols dont seem to promote heart health by reducing blood pressure.
Our findings do not support that potential cardiovascular benefits of red wine consumption result from blood pressure lowering by polyphenols, says researcher Ilse Botden, MD, a PhD student at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The findings dont suggest red wine isnt still heart-healthy just that it doesnt seem to work by lowering blood pressure, Botden says.
The benefit of red wine and heart health, she says, apparently occurs in a blood pressure-independent manner.
Botden is due to present the findings today at the American Heart Associations High Blood Pressure Research 2011 Scientific Sessions in Orlando.
So What Exactly Are Flavonoids
These compounds occur naturally in many fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods including tea, chocolate, and wine. Earlier studies have shown that flavonoids are very beneficial from a health perspective. Flavonoids break down in our stomachs with help from the gut microbiome, or the healthy bacteria residing within each persons digestive tract. Recent research has established a connection between gut microbiota and a persons risk of cardiovascular disease. For instance, each persons microbiota is a bit different and people with cardiovascular disease usually show distinct gut microbial compositions in comparison to those who do not.
In light of more and more research emerging in recent years suggesting that flavonoids may help reduce heart disease risk, this studys authors set out to determine the role the gut plays in all of this. More specifically, researchers investigated the association between eating flavonoid-rich foods in connection with both blood pressure and gut microbiome diversity.
To do this, researchers recruited 904 adults between 25 and 82 years-old for this project. Each persons food intake, gut microbiome, and blood pressure levels were all examined and measured, in addition to other clinical and molecular phenotyping that took place at regular follow-up examinations.
Is Red Wine Good For My Heart
While were on the subject of alcohol, lets talk about red wine specifically. Youve probably heard the saying, A glass of red wine a day keeps the doctor away. But how true is that really? Well, its debatable.
Theres indeed some research that shows that people who drank 1 to 2 glasses of wine daily were less likely to be hospitalized than those who didnt drink at all or those who drank too much. But this doesnt mean that the glasses of wine are directly responsible for the lower likelihood of hospitalization. The belief that alcohol is good for your health may be influenced by other non-alcohol-related factors in those studies.
For example, one study was conducted in Italians who ate a Mediterranean diet, which is generally considered to be more healthy than the standard American diet. Others looked at French and Japanese people whose diets and levels of physical activity are also different from the average American.
The American Heart Association suggests moderation above all else.
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Myth: Red Wine Lowers Cholesterol
Fact: Keeping your cholesterol within a healthy range is important if you want to reduce your risk of heart disease.
According to a study published in Clinical Nutrition, red wine increases good cholesterol. On the flip side, nonalcoholic red wine decreases levels of bad cholesterol. LDL levels stayed the same in people who drank alcoholic red wine, so keep this in mind when you order a glass with dinner.
What Is A Good Blood Pressure Medicine After A Stroke
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Myth: I Have High Blood Pressure And My Doctor Checks It For Me This Means I Dont Need To Check It At Home
Because blood pressure can fluctuate, home monitoring and recording of blood pressure readings can provide your healthcare provider with valuable information to determine whether you really have high blood pressure and, if you do, whether your treatment plan is working. Its important to take the readings at the same time each day, such as morning and evening, or as your healthcare professional recommends.
Claim #: Red Wine Lowers Cancer Risk
This benefit is overblown. The results are mixed for whether red wine can help you beat the odds for getting cancer. It flip-flops from cancer to cancer. For instance, studies show that red wine can reduce the risk for colon cancer but can increase the risk of breast cancer. Overall, the scientific muster isnt there to say that red wine can lower your risk for cancer. This risk is complex it involves your genetics, environment, eating habits and lifestyle choices. Whether or not you drink red wine is just one choice.
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What You Should Do
If youre interested in lowering your blood pressure, Dr. Bhatt says drinking non-alcoholic red wine wont hurt. I wouldnt ever make a clinical recommendation based on just one small study. However, if you happen to like non-alcoholic red wine and drink it anyway, it might be worthwhile to see if it helps your high blood pressure, he says.
But dont count on non-alcoholic red wine to lower high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, cautions Dr. Bhatt. Most people need a combination of exercise, a healthy diet, and medications to control high blood pressure.
Moderate exercise for 150 minutes per week and following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet can powerfully lower blood pressure, sometimes making medicines unnecessary. DASH is an eating plan featuring more fruits, vegetables and whole grains foods with nutrients known to help reduce blood pressure, like calcium, potassium and magnesium and reduced sodium and saturated fat intake.
High blood pressure is a big problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week that a third of all Americans have high blood pressure, and the majority of them dont have it under control.
Those are sobering facts. If the Spanish study pans out, one possible solution wont be too hard to swallow.
Wine And Blood Pressure
While red wine has been touted to have many heart health benefits, lowering blood pressure is not one of them. Treat red and white wine equaling when it comes to blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, consume wine in moderation.
If your blood pressure is not in control, I recommend you eliminate alcohol completely until your blood pressure is well-managed.
Researchers in Spain did find high blood pressure benefits were connected to drinking non-alcoholic red wine. Extra emphasis on the NON-ALCOHOLIC part.
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Wine Eases Blood Pressure Risks
Moderate Wine Drinkers With High Blood Pressure Face Lower Risks
Sept. 17, 2004 — Wine may literally be the blood of life, according to a new French study that shows wine appears to lower the health risks associated with high blood pressure.
In fact, researchers say wine may be the key ingredient that helps explain why people with high blood pressure are more likely to die from heart disease in the U.S. than those with the same high blood pressure in the Mediterranean.
The study found that moderate wine drinkers at every level of blood pressure were significantly less likely to die from any cause during a 13- to 21-year follow-up period.
For example, moderate wine drinkers with an average systolic blood pressure of 158 mm Hg had a 23% lower risk of death due to any cause than nondrinkers. Systolic blood pressure levels over 140 mm Hg and diastolic levels over 90 mm Hg are considered high.
But drinking more than 60 grams of alcohol a day from wine or a combination of wine and beer was not associated with any reduction in death risks. One small, 4-ounce glass of wine contains 10.5 grams of alcohol and a 12-ounce bottle of beer has about 11 to 14 grams of alcohol.
Drinking Red Wine Can Help Lower Blood Pressure Study Says
A higher intake of foods rich in flavonoids – including berries, apples, tea and red wine – has been linked to lower blood pressure in new research.
Tuesday 24 August 2021 10:18, UK
Three glasses of red wine a week can help lower blood pressure, a study has found.
A higher intake of foods rich in flavonoids – including berries, apples, tea and red wine – has been linked to lower blood pressure in analysis by Queen’s University in Belfast and Kiel University in Germany.
Moderation is key, with researchers finding that about three glasses of red wine per week was optimal, while for berries the suggested amount was 80g a day.
The study focused on how microbes in the gut break down flavonoids found in those foods and drinks, which then results in a drop in blood pressure.
“Our gut microbiome plays a key role in metabolising flavonoids to enhance their cardioprotective effects, and this study provides evidence to suggest these blood pressure-lowering effects are achievable with simple changes to the daily diet,” said lead investigator Professor Aedin Cassidy.
The analysis involved more than 900 participants in Germany.
Previous research has shown flavonoids can improve heart health, but researchers said this was the first time their connection to lower blood pressure has been explained.
The study’s results have been published in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.
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Researchers Have Discovered A Link Between Eating Foods Rich In Flavonoids And Lower Blood Pressure
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Red wine is rich in flavonoids
A few glasses of red wine a week can help avoid high blood pressure, according to a new study.
Researchers from Queens University in Belfast working with Germanys Kiel University have found a link between lower blood pressure and a higher intake of foods rich in flavonoids, including berries, apples, tea and red wine.
Professor Aedin Cassidy, chair and professor in nutrition and preventive medicine at the Institute for Global Food Security at Queens, was lead investigator in the study of more than 900 adults in Germany, the results of which have been published in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.
While mounting research has shown flavonoids can improve heart health, the study team said this was the first time data has explained their link to lowering blood pressure.
Researchers said the study had focused on the role played by microbes in the gut microbiome in metabolising flavonoids found in the aforementioned foods and drinks, which then worked to bring down blood pressure.
Blood Pressure Heart Rate Climb
Compared with the men who did not drink any alcohol, the red wine drinkers had a nearly a 2.5 point jump in their systolic blood pressure. Beer drinkers’ blood pressure rose nearly two points.
Systolic blood pressure is the top number of a blood pressure reading. It measures the pressure in blood vessels when the heart pumps.
While this doesn’t sound like much, even a few points can make a difference in people who have borderline or high blood pressure. Ideally, blood pressure should be less than 120/80. Blood pressure between 120/80 and 140/90 is called prehypertension.prehypertension.
Heart rate also rose. The researchers tested heart rate during sleep to rule out any effect of activity. Red wine drinkers’ heart rate climbed five points for eight to 10 hours after drinking. Beer drinkers’ heart rate rose four points.
Removing alcohol from the red wine did not lower the blood pressure.
The researchers say that the blood pressure effects of red wine and beer appear to be similar.
Since the men in the study did not have high blood pressure, it’s unclear how these findings apply to people who do. The study appears in the new issue of Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
So how is alcohol good for your heart if it raises blood pressure? It’s a delicate balance, say researchers.
One drink equals a 5 ounce glass of wine, a 12 ounce beer, or 1 ounce of liquor.
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Final Thoughts On Drinks That Lower Blood Pressure
As part of an antihypertensive diet, there are a number of drinks that lower blood pressure. Each powerful drink has its own special mechanisms that help reduce your blood pressure.
Many of the blood pressure-lowering drinks mentioned in this article include some amounts of antioxidants and key nutrients like potassium or magnesium.
The next time your blood pressure ends up on the high side, consider adding drinks that lower blood pressure, including water, coconut water, beet juice, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, celery juice, drinks with apple cider vinegar, chamomile tea, hibiscus tea, or non-alcoholic red wine, to your diet.
Now, lets cheers to lower blood pressure!
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Wine Calms High Blood Pressure
In the study, which appears in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers followed more than 36,000 healthy middle-aged men who were not taking drugs for heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure.
The men’s health and drinking status were recorded in an exam conducted between 1978 and 1985 and deaths among the group were tracked for 13-21 years.
Overall, 4,203 deaths were recorded during the study period. Researchers found that at each blood pressure level, men who drank less than 60 grams of alcohol a day from wine were less likely to have died from any cause than those who didn’t drink, even among those with high blood pressure.
Specifically, men with an average systolic blood pressure of:
- 158 mm Hg had a 23% lower risk
- 139 mm Hg had a 27% lower risk
- 116 mm Hg had a 37% lower risk
The study was supported by the French Ministry of Agriculture and the European Institute for Wine and Health.
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Can A Glass Of Red Wine Raise Blood Pressure
Red wine does not lower blood pressure, according to scientific evidence. Alcohol, in fact, causes blood pressure to rise. However, because alcohol relaxes people, it may lower blood pressure slightly but only for a short time, and it will not help with chronic hypertension.
Expert Reaction To Study On A Molecule In Red Wine And Blood Pressure
Research published in Circulation demonstrates that a molecule found in red wine causes a drop in blood pressure.
Prof Roger Corder, Emeritus Professor of Experimental Therapeutics, Queen Mary University of London, said:
I have been pushing back for many years against associating resveratrol with any effects of red wine. In fact, most red wines have undetectable levels of resveratrol. I published correspondence in Nature in 2003 highlighting the divide between doses of resveratrol being used experimentally compared to the amounts present in red wine. But the urban myth that resveratrol might explain the health benefits of regular red wine consumption has persisted. The dose here of 320 mg/kg in mice can be considered equal to treating a human with 15 to 20 g resveratrol. This amount is ridiculous and in red wine terms equivalent to more than 3000 litres of wine.
Dr Bob Patton, Alcohol Researcher & Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, University of Surrey, said:
Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with increases in blood pressure, and this can lead to cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and strokes, so its a good idea to reduce it. Relaxing with a glass of red is one way to unwind at the end of the day, but on its own that is not going to help tackle hypertension losing weight, taking regular exercise and lowering your stress levels are three of the best ways to do this.
Dr Bob Patton: No conflicts of interest.
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Too Much Of A Good Thing
Your age and other risk factors linked to heart and blood pressure health will ultimately aid your decision with your doctor about drinking. But don’t expect any âall clearsâ for anything beyond light-moderate drinking.
Having more than two drinks in a day may raise your blood pressure. Drinking more than one or two drinks in a sitting has been directly linked to a rapid rise in blood pressure, which in someone with very high levels of hypertension can lead to stroke.
âIt doesnât matter what beverage if you have a high risk, itâs all about the amount,â Klatsky says. âThereâs plenty of research that shows heavy beer drinkers, heavy wine drinkers, it doesnât matter, they are all at risk of increasing high blood pressure when drinking in excess.â
Klatsky says his biggest concern is that patients keep an open dialogue with their doctors about their lifestyle to achieve an authentic diagnosis.
âOne rule doesnât fit everyone,â he says, âso talk to your doctor about how your high blood pressure — and the rest of you — can determine your consumption choices.â
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