Alcohol has long been considered harmful to human health in medicine. But 2013 studies by Craney Stockley proved that not all high-degree drinks negatively affect the body. Wine is one of them. The drink increases appetite, quenches thirst, makes blood vessels more elastic, restores immunity. But before you begin such treatment, you need to find out in which cases white and red dry wine raises or lowers blood pressure, and when it does harm.

The benefits of red wine

Dark grape varieties include polyphenolic compounds. These molecules prevent the development of inflammatory processes and tumors within the body. The beneficial properties of red wine are determined by the amount of antioxidants and procyanides inside the finished product. These substances prevent the formation of blood clots, premature aging. Red wine and pressure are also related. If you take a drink 2-3 times a week, the elasticity of blood vessels increases, blood flow normalizes.

The benefits of white wine

This grape drink contains a large amount of antioxidants. The beneficial properties of white wine are determined by the composition of the product. Depending on which berries were used for preparation, the taste of the drink and the effect created by its reception are different. Dessert nutmegs contain essential oils that relieve migraines and strengthen the walls of arteries. Chardonnay, known for its light and pleasant aroma, removes salts from joints, destroys kidney stones. Table white wine includes the following trace elements:

• nicotinamide;
• b vitamins;
• ascorbic acid;
• phosphorus;
• copper.

How wine affects pressure

After drinking a drink, blood pressure can rise and fall. The effect of wine on pressure is due to its sweetness and the presence of fruit acids. It is recommended to take no more than two glasses of the drink per day. The therapeutic dose is 100-150 g. As a medicine, you can use wine once a day. If you are going to increase the pressure, choose semi-sweet and semi-dry drinks. They help reduce myocardium. Those who want to lower their pressure are advised to drink dry wine. This product contains many fruit acids that relieve spasms and dilate blood vessels.

Separately, it is worth considering how red wine affects pressure. Due to the presence of flavonoids, the drink has a positive effect on the heart, the walls of the capillaries and arteries. If a person has low blood pressure, the beneficial substances in the product dilate blood vessels. Otherwise, the drink will narrow them. But only high-quality red wine will act like that. Inexpensive drinks from stores will not have this effect.

Which wine lowers pressure

With hypertension, it is recommended to consume sour alcoholic drinks. Dry red or white wine lowers pressure if diluted with mineral water in a ratio of 1 to 2. Due to the high concentration of fruit acids, the vessels expand. Red wine at high pressure is healthier than white. The composition of the product includes essential oils and catechins that remove toxic substances and break down cholesterol. A glass of such wine lowers blood pressure by 10-15 units.

Which wine boosts pressure

Sweet drinks will help cope with bouts of hypotension. Semi-sweet and semi-dry wine increases pressure. During use, the drink can be diluted with mineral water to reduce its strength. Do not exceed the established norm of 100-150 g per day. Red wines of almost all varieties will help to cope with hypotension, because they contain a lot of sugar. This substance activates the sympathetic nervous system, which makes the heart work harder and faster to distill the blood.

Contraindications

Abuse of this drink adversely affects liver cells. Under the influence of alcohol, molecular compounds begin to break down, which affects the functioning of the entire digestive tract. In addition to the fact that wine can increase or decrease pressure, it affects the structure of brain cells. If a man drinks more than 200 g of drink per day, and a woman more than 100 g, then the state of the cardiovascular system and neurons begins to deteriorate. Contraindications to the use of wine include the following ailments:

• stomach ulcer;
• pancreatitis
• chronic migraine;
• diseases of the central nervous system;
• gastritis;
• allergic to grapes and other components of the drink.

Some ask whether it is possible to drink wine with high blood pressure. If the norm is exceeded by 15-20 units, then doctors recommend taking a tablet of sulfonamide or beta-blocker. At low numbers, it is recommended to drink strong sweet coffee. This alcohol-containing product is contraindicated for pregnant women and people with severe hypertension. It is not recommended to drink the drink often for women, as alcohol affects estrogen production.

Video: red wine raises or lowers blood pressure

Low or high pressure requires a careful selection of drinks, so as not to harm your health. The ability of alcohol to relax the walls of blood vessels temporarily lowers blood pressure. However, soon in the body the heart increases the frequency of muscle contractions, the volume of blood ejected into the bed increases, and the pressure rises again. Therefore, alcohol consumption is not recommended for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. However, in this strict rule there is an exception - red wine.

It should be noted right away that red dry, best vintage wines have a positive healing effect. Vermouth, sweet (tablespoons), tinctures with added sugar will only increase pressure. Dry wine contains fruit acids. Being inherently antispasmodics, they effectively dilate blood vessels. Red wine allows you to raise the level of nitric oxide in the blood, which is responsible for the ability to pass more blood to the heart and internal organs. Therefore, an increase in the content of the compound in the blood reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

The benefits of red wines

• antitumor;
• anti-inflammatory;
• hepatoprotective;
• cardioprotective.

It also lowers blood sugar, improves cell metabolism, and stimulates the delivery of oxygen to cells.

Red dry wine also contains antioxidants (catechins, saponins, quercetins, flavonoids) and procyanides. The latter are especially useful for blood vessels, as they provide natural protection against endothelium. Thanks to procyanides, the risk of atherosclerosis, coronary insufficiency, hypertension and myocardial infarction becomes significantly lower. Tannin is also of great benefit - tannic acid made from seeds, stalks and peel of grape berries. It is in the skin that contains the highest quality tannin. Once in the blood, tannic acid makes the vessels more elastic and strong. This helps to indirectly and directly reduce the risk of developing many pathologies of the circulatory system.

A study in a clinical hospital in Barcelona recorded a decrease in pressure with regular consumption of red wine. This helped to reduce the risk of heart disease by 14% in the examined patients, and the likelihood of a stroke by more than 20%. It is noteworthy that all the subjects had three or more risk factors for manifestations of diseases of the cardiovascular system or suffered from diabetes. Since dry red wine has a therapeutic effect, it should be taken in the same way as a medicine. It was experimentally established that a dose of more than 300 g per day adversely affects human health, namely, the risk of occurrence increases:

• hypertension
• cardiovascular disease;
• strokes;
• cirrhosis of the liver;
• pancreatitis
• some types of cancer.

In the short term, a hefty fraction of alcohol increases pressure, so wine consumption should be strictly dosed.

In order for the drink to bring maximum benefits, it is recommended to consume 50-100 grams of dry wine daily, no more.

It can be drunk undiluted or diluted with table mineral water in a ratio of 1: 2. Most flavonoids that directly affect cardiac activity are found in Pinot Noiro and Cabernet Sauvignon grape varieties.

Ideal opponents of alcohol or persons with a contraindication to alcohol can also use the beneficial effects of grape antioxidants. According to a study conducted by Dr. Gemma Chiva Blanche from Spain, polyphenols are the main beneficial substance in wine for lowering blood pressure. They remain in the drink even after turning it into a non-alcoholic one. Therefore, you can get the healing effect of wine without ethanol. The latter is especially true for people taking medications. After all, alcohol only enhances the effect of cardiovascular drugs, so the simultaneous use is highly not recommended. Follow your doctor's recommendations and be healthy.

Raises red wine pressure or lowers, determine various factors. To identify the properties of the drink, scientists conducted research and described how red wine affects pressure. Modern research, with which scientists have tried to find out whether red wine raises pressure or lowers, gives conflicting results.

While some call this product a source of youth, others claim that it is no different from other alcoholic drinks. Researchers healing or, on the contrary, harmful properties, attribute the substances present in it.

Ethanol

Alcohol dilates blood vessels, so blood pressure first decreases. The hormones that increase it are formed only with excessive consumption of the drink. Scientists cannot explain this connection yet. The acceptable amount of wine for each is different and depends on various factors, including the form of hypertension.

According to the World Health Organization (abbr. WHO), high blood pressure is considered, which is more than 140/90 mm RT. Art. If it is below this limit, enjoying red wine is relatively safe.

With hypertension, one should focus on the severity:

How ethanol affects pressure also depends on other factors. Observations have shown that with smoking or emotional arousal (indignation, etc.) and the simultaneous use of alcohol, blood pressure is likely to increase. The dose also matters: in men, growth provokes more than 20-30 g of alcohol, in women - more than 10-20 g.

The number of added units is individual. Doctors give approximate values: by 7 mm. Hg. Art. the upper (systolic) pressure increases by 5 mm. Hg. Art. - lower (diastolic). It increases more strongly in men compared with women and in smokers compared to non-smokers.

The reasons for the growth under the influence of alcohol are considered to be different mechanisms that have not yet been fully clarified. An important role is played by an increase in the activity of the sympathetic nerve caused by the intermediate brain, which leads to the intensive production of hormones that increase pressure. As a result, heart contractions become more frequent.

With regular and prolonged consumption of high doses of alcohol, other mechanisms are additionally taken into account, such as weight gain due to the intake of a large number of calories, with which an increase in pressure is associated, and the associated addiction to salt.

These aromatic compounds from the group of secondary plant substances include tannins and coloring substances that determine the taste of red wine. Several studies have been devoted to them.

Queen Mary University of London

In 2006, British scientists learned that certain types of drink reduce blood pressure and prevent calcification of blood vessels. They attributed this effect to polyphenols and found that procyanidins, up to 50% of the total number of test compounds, are responsible for the protection of arteries.

In laboratory tests, experts confirmed that the identified substances inhibit the production of vasoconstrictor protein endothelin-1. How exactly they affect the body, it was still planned to find out. According to calculations, the pressure decreases when a quarter liter of red wine with a high content of procyanidins is consumed per day.

Then the British checked whether the product is developing its protective effect outside the laboratory. To do this, they compared the concentration of beneficial compounds in different types of wine with the age of people in the regions of origin of the product.

It turned out that drinks from two small areas in southwestern France contained up to four times more procyanidins than others. There, people lived to an unusually high age.

Especially many corresponding polyphenols in the grape seeds. In both regions, the traditional wine-making technology is observed, when the berries are fermented with seeds and peels for three to four weeks. This time is sufficient for the complete extraction of procyanidin.

Modern producers, by contrast, set aside at most one week for fermentation, moreover, coloring enzymes are primarily extracted from the peel of the grapes. Especially rich in substances that have healing properties, Tannat grapes from southern France.

The traditional method is more time-consuming and expensive than modern, so it is rarely used now.

Netherlands study

Animal experiments have shown that polyphenols improve vascular endothelial function and are indeed able to lower performance. A group of scientists from Rotterdam in 2011 tested this effect in humans by conducting a placebo-controlled crossover study in 61 people with borderline or mild hypertension. The average score was 145.0 / 85.8 mmHg. Art.

Participants, divided into 3 groups, alternately received placebo or red wine polyphenols mixed in the drink in the form of a non-alcoholic dry extract in a dosage of 280 mg or 560 mg per day. Scientists substantiated the extraction of ethanol by the fact that it is able to increase pressure.

Despite a slight and slight decrease in indicators within 24 hours when taking polyphenols at a higher dosage, they did not have a relevant effect on peripheral blood pressure. Aortic remained unchanged when using the extract in any quantity.

Scientists concluded that the investigated substances do not provide cardioprotective effect of the drink. However, at the same time, the Netherlands suggested that as antioxidants they have beneficial effects on blood vessels and the heart.

University of Barcelona

Scientists from the University of Barcelona in 2012 compared the effects of ordinary red wine and its non-alcoholic version. Both had the same polyphenol content.

If when using the first, the pressure decreased slightly, then the second caused a decrease of 6 units of systolic pressure and 2 - diastolic. According to the Spaniards, the drink helps prevent the development of mild to moderate hypertension.

Resveratrol

According to the American Association of Cardiology, an antioxidant found in wine has an antithrombotic effect, which means it reduces the risk of hypertension.

However, a study by Danish scientists (2013) disproved this claim and even proved the opposite. Physical parameters in men who performed the exercises and took resveratrol were lower than in participants who received a placebo.

Red or white?

While there is no serious data regarding which wine lowers pressure better: red or white. Since, for ethical reasons, it is not possible to conduct prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials to compare different drinks, scientists are confronted with biasing results related to lifestyle of product lovers.

For many centuries, millions of people love wine, and although the question of its composition and properties remains open, about six hundred compounds have been discovered in it. It is proved that the drink improves the condition of the heart and blood vessels, has a positive effect in some diseases of the digestive organs, strengthens the immune system. There is even a direction of alternative medicine, called enotherapy, or wine treatment.

Hypertension, constant surges in pressure and deadly complications developing as a result of these deviations have long become a global problem for mankind. Symptoms of these disorders are experienced by more than half of the world's population. In this case, one of the main causes of pathology are food products that adversely affect the heart and blood vessels. One of the concerns of wine connoisseurs is the effect of the drink on blood pressure. People suffering from hypertension are afraid of deterioration of well-being caused by alcoholic beverages, they do not know which of them will not cause harm, and which is better to refrain from.

First of all, let's look at how wine affects the state of the vascular system. Absorbing into the blood, the active components have a vasodilating effect, lower vascular tone, activate blood flow and gradually decrease blood pressure values. In addition, small amounts of the drink help to relieve headaches and relieve the increased irritability characteristic of hypertension. However, the hypotensive effect is short-lived, and soon the relaxation of the vessels is replaced by their narrowing, the heart rate rises, and the pressure rises again to the previous levels. At the same time, if you drink more than the recommended dose, a further increase in blood pressure is possible up to.

There is another important advantage of red wine. Once in the bloodstream, it activates the synthesis of nitric oxide, causing vasodilation and increased blood flow. Such an effect is exerted by dry varieties, contributing to a decrease in both systolic and diastolic values. Not so long ago, clinical trials showed that if you regularly drink a little red dry drink, blood pressure stably decreases, the likelihood of a stroke will decrease by 20%, and cardiopathologies by 15%.

What components cause a decrease in blood pressure

People prone to increased pressure are allowed to drink no more than one hundred - two hundred milliliters of fine dry wine no more than twice a week. It is proved that these red varieties not only do not worsen the state of health, but even lower blood pressure, due to the content in them:

• Fruit acids  -, have an antispasmodic effect.
• Resveratrol  - lowers blood glucose, improves tissue oxygen supply, and prevents thrombosis. In addition, the compound inhibits the development of malignant neoplasms, increases the ability to procreate, significantly enhancing the synthesis of testosterone.
• Flavonoids- differ in powerful antioxidant effect, strengthen vascular walls, preventing damage to the endothelial layer. Reduce the likelihood of atherosclerosis, heart attack, strokes, weaken the symptoms of hypertension.
• Tannin  - obtained from the skin and seeds of grape berries, makes the vascular wall more durable and elastic.

To strengthen the vessels and normalize the pressure, the aging of red wine should be at least three years. During this time, it accumulates a sufficient amount of amino acids, tannins and other useful compounds.

Contraindications

We have already found out how red wine affects pressure, but you need to know the conditions in which its use, to put it mildly, is undesirable:

• Severe forms of hypertension - we are talking about the second and third stages of the disease.
• Peptic ulcer of the stomach and intestines.
• Pancreatitis
• Bronchial asthma.
• Frequent headaches.
• Emotional lability, increased irritability and nervous irritability.
• Allergic reactions.

Also, any kind of alcoholic beverages should not be drunk while taking antihypertensive drugs.

Red or white?

Now let's look at which varieties have a more pronounced hypotensive effect, red or white, and how this is explained.

• A higher content of antioxidants and other active compounds that cause normalization of blood pressure - although studies have shown that the antioxidants contained in white wine are absorbed by tissues much more easily, dry red still lowers its performance more effectively.
• After a glass of red, antioxidants circulate in the blood and remain active for an average of four hours.
• Unlike white wine, red contributes to a decrease in the concentration of endothelin peptide, the excessive concentration of which contributes to the development of atherosclerotic lesions and other vascular diseases.

Dry varieties of red wine do not cause an increase in pressure, so the beloved Cahors many are not suitable for the treatment and prevention of hypertension. The recommended strength is 9 - 11.5%. Sometimes you can afford a glass of a stronger drink, but in any case, no more than 13%, because in the production of fortified wines, alcohol is added to the wine material.

Why red wines are good

A curious fact was noticed: the population of France, whose national cuisine abounds in fatty dishes containing large amounts of cholesterol, is less prone to cardiovascular pathologies than residents of other European countries and, especially, the United States. As it turned out, this paradox is explained by the action of weak red wine, which the French drink every day.

Procyanides are found in the drink, which, along with antioxidants, prevent the development of such heart and vascular diseases:

• Hypertension.
• Myocardial infarction.
• Disorders of coronary circulation.
• Atherosclerosis.
• Thrombosis.

If you drink no more than a glass of red dry wine per day, blood pressure will soon normalize and your health will improve. But you can’t get carried away with the drink, since exceeding the dosage leads to the opposite effect and threatens pressure surges.

Date of publication of the article: 05/04/2017

Article update date: 12/21/2018

In this article you will learn how wine affects the cardiovascular system: this drink increases or decreases pressure. Is this drink possible hypertensive and hypotensive? What dosage is safe.

The effect of wine on pressure depends on its variety and strength. Red and white wine raises or lowers blood pressure.

Before using the drink, consult your physician. If you suffer from cardiovascular disease - with a cardiologist.

How does red wine affect pressure

Dry red wine can lower blood pressure.

The grapes from which the quality drink is made contain polyphenols. The most useful of these is resveratrol. It is he who provides a decrease in pressure. 100 ml of dry red wine contains up to 0.58 mg of this substance.

Resveratrol is also called the “king of antioxidants” and speaks of its anticancer, anti-inflammatory properties, as well as many others.

In a large dosage or with prolonged regular consumption, even in small quantities, red wine often increases pressure.

White wine and pressure

Wine for the prevention of heart and vascular disease

In order to prevent cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, it is advisable to consume 100-150 ml of red dry drink per day for no longer than 7-10 days. Then take a break of a few weeks.

Semisweet and sweet red varieties are also suitable. However, their effect will be lower than the effect of dry. Also, with a high sugar content, some useful properties of resveratrol are lost, so dry wines are more preferable.

Also note that you need to choose high-quality drinks that are made from natural grapes and do not contain flavorings and colorings.

Choose a weak drink, as the high content of ethyl alcohol blocks the beneficial effects of polyphenols.

White wine is not suitable for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, as the content of resveratrol in white grapes is much lower than in dark varieties.

The effect of large doses of wine on the cardiovascular system

If you consume wine in a dosage of more than 300 ml once or in a “useful” dosage for longer than 10 days, it begins to have a negative effect.

The pressure increases the ethyl alcohol contained in the wine. The stronger it is, the more harmful it will be for the heart and blood vessels in large numbers and with regular use.

However, even weak wine, and even low alcohol drinks when consumed for more than 10 days have a negative effect on the body. With prolonged use, they:

• They constrict blood vessels.
• Increase pressure.
• They interfere with the normal functioning of the kidneys, and renal disorders exacerbate the problem of high blood pressure.
• Reduce the level of magnesium in the blood. A deficiency of magnesium is harmful to the heart, blood vessels and nervous system.
• Deteriorating liver function.
• Disturb the functioning of the brain.

Prolonged regular consumption of even weak alcoholic beverages can cause alcoholic myocardial dystrophy (inferiority of the muscle layer of the heart) and dilated cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart by expanding the cavities of the heart chambers). However, here it is not a question of several weeks, but several years of chronic use.

Wine for pressure problems

Red wine and above-normal blood pressure are not always compatible things.

If you suffer from prehypertension (blood pressure above 130/85 mm Hg, but below 140/90) or primary hypertension (from 140/90 mm Hg to 160/99), 100-150 ml of dry drink will reduce pressure of 5-15 mm RT. Art.

If you suffer from a serious form of hypertension (high blood pressure from 160/100), alcohol in any form is contraindicated.

As for low blood pressure, dry red wine can provoke even lower it. However, this is individual. If you have low blood pressure, you can drink 50-100 ml of wine, but only if it does not cause you a significant decrease in pressure (it is advisable to measure blood pressure before and after drinking).

If you have problems with the cardiovascular system, consult your cardiologist about whether you can drink wine.

If you are undergoing medical treatment for any disease, consult your doctor, as many drugs are incompatible with alcohol.

Other beneficial properties of resveratrol

Resveratrol - the main beneficial substance of wine - has, in addition to lowering blood pressure, the following effects:

1. Increases hemoglobin level.
2. Lowers sugar.
3. It prevents the deposition of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of blood vessels (this is the prevention of atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart attack).
4. Prevents blood clots.
5. Reduces the risk of tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.
6. Slows down brain aging.
7. Reduces the activity of herpes viruses, influenza, chickenpox.
8. Improves the chance of becoming pregnant, as it increases the level of the female hormone progesterone.

Contraindications to the use of wine

• bronchial asthma;
• allergy to grapes;
• gastritis;
• an ulcer of the stomach or intestines;
• neurosis;
• psychoses;
• pancreatitis
• hepatitis and other liver diseases;
• chronic diseases of the kidneys or bladder;
• pressure above 160/100;
• heart failure;
• frequent migraines;
• propensity for alcoholism;
• pregnancy planning, pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• age to 18 years.

Non-alcoholic replacement for red wine

If alcohol is contraindicated for health reasons, or you are under 18 years old, or you are planning a pregnancy (and at that time drinking alcohol is highly undesirable for both a woman and her child), you can get resveratrol from other sources:

• red, blue, black grape varieties;
• blueberries
• reinutria Sakhalin (Sakhalin mountaineer) - a plant of the buckwheat family;
• peanut;
• cocoa beans;
• plums
• tomatoes
• pepper.

findings

The use of 100-150 ml of quality red dry wine for no longer than 10 consecutive days is beneficial for the cardiovascular system and for the whole organism. This will help reduce slightly increased pressure, strengthen blood vessels, prevent atherosclerosis and thrombosis, lower sugar, and increase the body's resistance to viral diseases.

White wine does not lower the pressure.

Long-term use or excess dosage leads to increased pressure and other side effects (impaired functioning of the heart, liver, kidneys, brain).

The active substance of red wine can be obtained from other sources: berries, nuts.