Some people may be getting treatment for hypertension unnecessarily, the American Journal of Cardiology (52:769) warns.This could be the case if their doctors did not know that they had been drinking coffee shortly before their blood pressure was tested.
In a double-blind study comparing the effects of a 250 mg capsule of caffeine (the equivalent of two or three cups of coffee) with those of a placebo, It was found that caffeine raised the blood pressure (BP) significantly. This effect was more marked in people older than 50 than in people younger than 30 and was most powerful in those who were not accustomed to drinking coffee.
The moral of this story is that it would be advisable to abstain from coffee entirely on days when one is to undergo BP testing, especially if one’s pressure is near the borderline between normal and levels that are hypertensive.
Hypertension that is not responding as well as expected to treatment may suddenly begin to come under control, the American Family Practitioner (34#4:182) reports, if the patient takes less alcohol. People usually lose some weight as well when they reduce their alcoholic intake, but this is not the mechanism of the beneficial effect upon hypertension, because the blood pressure usually falls even in those who do not lose any weight.
While cutting out alcohol entirely may be necessary for some, at least initially, many find that, by merely drinking substantially less, they can achieve the desired result. We are not discussing alcoholism, for which total abstinence is necessary, but rather, hypertension, in which it may be necessary to cut down from a moderate number of drinks to only a very few.
In fact, between 10 percent and 30 percent of people who have essential hypertension, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine (143:29), may be suffering from the effects of too much alcohol, even though they are by no means alcoholics. Merely by drinking socially acceptable amounts of alcohol a few times every day and without ever getting noticeably intoxicated, a great number of people get more alcohol than is good for them.
Just five drinks every day (one drink is defined as one can of beer, one and one-fourth ounces (one “shot”) of whiskey, one glass of wine, or one cocktail), even if some of them are taken at lunch and others with dinner and in the evening, are more than the average person can tolerate without risk. Small people, of course, would get the same effect from fewer drinks.
The blood pressure elevation caused by “moderate” drinking disappears within a few days after the habit is discontinued, only to return if the same amount of regular drinking is resumed.
Lest this information about the reversibility of alcohol-induced hypertension be used to justify continuing a potentially dangerous habit, it should be understood that the hypertension due to taking five or more drinks every day is associated with a much higher than normal incidence of stroke. Stroke, a potential complication of hypertension, regardless of its cause, produces irreversible brain damage, which may even prove fatal. In people who regularly take five or more drinks every day, the Archives reports, there is a three times greater than normal incidence of death from stroke.
In addition, medicines taken to lower the blood pressure (BP), the Lancet (1:647) reports, are antagonized by alcoholic drinks. Furthermore, researchers have found, the more alcohol one takes every day, the greater is this antagonistic effect. Thus the BP of those taking six drinks daily is significantly higher than that of those who drink only two.
If a person significantly reduces his alcohol intake, he may experience a considerable drop in BP, and as a result he will likely feel very tired and weak. Accordingly, those on BP medication who are accustomed to taking several drinks a day will probably need to reduce the dosage should they decide to start drinking less. A doctor’s help will be needed in readjusting the dosage so that one can continue to feel comfortable and well.
*56\143\2*
Random Posts
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.