Dose-dependent increases in BP seen after alcohol initiation, with direction of effect consistent across sexes<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Alcohol cessation is associated with dose-dependent reductions in blood pressure (BP), according to a study published online Oct. 22 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology<\/em>.<\/p>\n Takahiro Suzuki, M.D., M.P.H., from the Institute of Science Tokyo, and colleagues examined the associations between alcohol cessation\/initiation and subsequent BP changes using data from adults undergoing annual health check-ups at a Japanese preventive medicine center from October 2012 to March 2024. Data were included for 359,717 visits among 58,943 participants.<\/p>\n The researchers found that in the cessation cohort (53,156 visits among 25,621 participants), cessation was associated with dose-dependent reductions in BP. Cessation of 0.5 to 1.0 drink\/day among women did not correspond with a significant change in systolic BP (SBP), but corresponded with a significant change of \u22120.41 mm Hg in diastolic BP (DBP); cessation of 1.0 to 2.0 drinks\/day corresponded with significant changes of \u22120.78 and \u22121.14 mm Hg in SBP and DBP, respectively. Among men, cessation of 0.5 to 1.0 drink\/day did not correspond with significant changes in SBP or DBP, while cessation of 1.0 to 2.0 drinks\/day corresponded to significant reductions of \u22121.03 and \u22121.62 mm Hg in SBP and DBP, respectively. Dose-dependent increases were seen in BP after alcohol initiation in the initiation cohort (128,552 visits among 31,532 participants); across sexes, the overall direction of effect was consistent.<\/p>\n “In the past, scientists thought that small amounts of alcohol might be okay, but our results suggest that no alcohol is actually best,” Suzuki said in a statement.<\/p>\n