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What are the worst offending alcoholic drinks that may increase your blood pressure? Why are they so troublesome? And how can you drink responsibly?
Alcohol contains empty calories, confirmed the Drink Aware, meaning it serves no nutritional purpose.
One side effect of drinking alcohol can be weight gain, which can shift your blood pressure reading in the wrong direction.
WebMD stated weight increases can shoot up blood pressure readings, making you more susceptible to hypertension.
Hypertension is when your blood pressure reading is above 120/80mmHg.
Different alcoholic drinks contain varying levels of calories, certified Drink Aware.
Following this logic, alcoholic drinks that contain the most calories wouldn’t be helpful if you’re trying to manage your blood pressure.
Alcoholic beverages high in calories
First on the list is five percent beer, which the NHS confirmed contains 239kcal.
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This is closely followed in second place by a “standard 330ml bottle of four percent alcopop”, which has 172kcal.
Third down on the list is a “50ml glass of 17 percent cream liquor” at 153kcal.
In fourth place, a standard 175ml glass of 12 percent wine contains 133kcal.
Moving towards the least calorific (alcoholic) drinks, a double measure (50ml) of 40 percent gin reaches fifth place.
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And, as the least calorific alcoholic beverage (according to the NHS) is a double measure (50ml) of 17.5 percent fortified wine at 77kcal.
Do bear in mind that additional calories can be added if you introduce a mixer, such as cola or tonic water.
In addition to which tipple you chose to consume, the key is how much you drink.
They Mayo Clinic certified that “drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure to unhealthy levels” – no matter the choice.
For those with high blood pressure, it’s advised to “avoid alcohol or drink alcohol only in moderation”.
What is moderate drinking?
According to the Mayo Clinic, moderate drinking is generally considered to be two drinks a day for men younger than age 65.
For men 65 and older, having one alcoholic beverage is classified as moderate drinking.
This is true for women of any age, who are advised to only have one drink.
The 14-unit rule
The UK Chief Medical Officers’ guideline for both men and women is not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.
What’s a unit?
Drink Aware confirmed a unit is “10ml or 8g of pure alcohol”, which can determine how strong a drink is.
Drink Aware states that six pints of beer in one week is considered 14 units; this also holds true for six medium glasses of wine a week.
It takes an average adult around an hour to process one unit of alcohol so there’s none left in the bloodstream.
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