HypertensionCohort study
Blood Pressure After Changes in Light-to-Moderate Alcohol Consumption in Women and Men
- Retrospective cohort study
- single-centre
Authors' conclusion
Even at low levels, drinking was associated with higher BP, and cessation was associated with lower BP in both sexes.
Study context
- Population
- Adults undergoing annual health checkups at a Japanese preventive medicine center, October 2012 to March 2024
- Participants
- 58,943 adults · 359,717 visits
- Exposure
- Alcohol cessation or initiation vs unchanged consumption
- Cessationn = 25,621
- Initiationn = 31,532
- Outcome
- Change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between consecutive visits after alcohol cessation/initiation
- Follow-up
- Between consecutive visits
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
BP change after alcohol cessation, by sex and dose
Estimate (95% CI)
Women, cessation 0.5–1.0 drinks/daynot statistically significant
SBP change −0.44 mm Hg(−0.93 to 0.06)
Women, cessation 0.5–1.0 drinks/day
DBP change −0.41 mm Hg(−0.77 to −0.05)
Women, cessation 1.0–2.0 drinks/day
SBP change −0.78 mm Hg(−1.53 to −0.04)
Women, cessation 1.0–2.0 drinks/day
DBP change −1.14 mm Hg(−1.68 to −0.61)
Men, cessation 0.5–1.0 drinks/daynot statistically significant
SBP change −0.27 mm Hg(−0.81 to 0.27)
Men, cessation 0.5–1.0 drinks/daynot statistically significant
DBP change −0.39 mm Hg(−0.77 to 0.01)
Men, cessation 1.0–2.0 drinks/day
SBP change −1.03 mm Hg(−1.70 to −0.35)
Men, cessation 1.0–2.0 drinks/day
DBP change −1.62 mm Hg(−2.11 to −1.12)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Blood pressure (BP) change after alcohol initiation
- Dose-dependent increases in BP after initiation, direction consistent across sexes
- initiation cohort: 128,552 visits, median age 50.0 years, 70.4% women
BP change by beverage type
- Similar BP effects regardless of alcohol type in both cohorts
Original publication
Blood Pressure After Changes in Light-to-Moderate Alcohol Consumption in Women and Men. J Am Coll Cardiol. Published 22 October 2025. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2025.09.018
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it