Blood pressure is a medical metric of how hard blood pushes against the walls of an individual’s arteries. The normal blood pressure should be no less than 120/80 and no higher than 140/90. Too high blood pressure results in a medical condition.
Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a prevalent healthy condition in which the pressure or force in the arteries is too high. With time, this damages your blood vessels. High blood pressure affects about a fifth of the world’s population and is often described as a silent killer as it never depicts any onset symptoms.
High blood pressure is also described as a lifestyle condition. Therefore, it can be prevented if people paid more attention to what they drink, eat, and increased their physical activity. In most cases, because it shows no symptoms, a stroke is always an awakening call for many. It is always after the stroke that people realize there is a problem. However, symptoms like body fatigue, breathing difficulties, irregular heartbeat, and chest pains should cause an alarm.
What causes high blood pressure and who is at risk?
Those at risk are persons above the age of fifty-five, who have a forty percent chance of getting it and these chances heighten to ninety percent (between the ages of 75 -80). There are also high chances of getting it during pregnancy. This, however, can reverse itself after giving birth.
High salt intake, high-stress levels, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity are some of the leading risk factors for high blood pressure.
Blood pressure is measured in a ratio and written as two numbers; where the top number indicates systolic blood pressure, and the lower one indicates diastolic blood pressure. The systolic pressure can be defined in a layman’s language as the rate at which the heart pumps and supplies blood to other parts of the body. On the other hand, the diastolic pressure is the rate at which the heart is at its normal relaxed mode, receiving blood from different body parts.
The prescription of high blood pressure medications, a proper diet and exercises can curb or in other cases reverse the problem. Heart failure can occur if high blood pressure is uncontrolled.
Looking for some health benefits already to drinking wine? Try “12 Amazing Red Wine Vinegar Health Benefits” for some interesting info.
What is the association of blood pressure with wine?
A lot of health risk and myths surround this subject. A lot has been said about the risk element vice visa the benefits associated with the combination of these two. We have been told that glass of wine can lower the risks of high blood pressure, but where exactly is the truth? Has the relation between wine and blood pressure been established yet?
The closet scientific explanation is that alcohol increases the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (good cholesterol) in the blood. This is the same effect regular exercise, and a good-balanced diet has on our bodies. They too raise HDL levels. The abundance of HDL, in turn, can lower the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (which is considered the bad cholesterol).
There are other known healthy benefits of wine concerning high blood pressure. These include:
1. Wine in lowering blood sugar
Red wine has been associated with the health benefits to lower blood pressure and other heart diseases. In this sense, (especially red wine) regulates blood sugar. Scientifically, the grapes used to make it contain a compound called resveratrol which is believed to have a positive effect on the blood sugar level. This same compound is responsible for keeping a sharp and active memory. For this reason, red wine is perceived to be useful in maintaining a healthy brain.
Other research shows that adding a glass of red wine to your diet reduces the chances of the appearance of plaque in the artery linings. This allows a smoother and easy flow of blood through vessels. Red wine contains action compounds responsible for the plaque breakdown.
2. Wine as a stress reliever
When it comes to relieving stress, a glass of wine is believed to bring relaxation to both the mind and body. Chronic stress increases the chance of high blood pressure. Therefore, if wine can relax the mind, then it will have reduced your stress levels, thus lowering your hypertension levels.
A glass of wine allows the mind to relax and thus releases any mental tension and anxiety that you might be experiencing. However, don’t overindulge in the process of ‘relieving tension’ and mess with your entire system, especially if you already are under blood pressure medication.
3. Fights common cold and flu
Another great reason for consuming red wine is that it can protect one from common cold ailments because of its antioxidant properties. Chemically, these antioxidants fight the free-forming radicals in the body. These radicals bring about colds as a result of a weak immune system.
4. Protects the heart
Red wine is associated with protecting the heart. This is because of the antioxidant compounds in the wine that eases and flexes blood vessels, reducing the chances of blood clotting at any point. These action points are similar to those found in Aspirin (a common High blood pressure drug).
It is believed that red wine is a perfect remedy for those suffering from high blood pressure. It can assist in relieving blood clots that tend to form in the distressed blood veins. These clots are likely to cause a build-up of the pressure in the blood vessels.
5. Regulates body weight
Resveratrol, a compound contained in red wine, is believed to eliminate and break down fatty deposits in the body. People take wine to control their body weight.
Ironically, other scientific researches show that more than two servings of alcohol a day can raise triglycerides fat levels in the system. Too much of these fats can lead to obesity, diabetes, and, consequently, high blood pressure. Alcohol as a beverage contains sugar, which translates to calories which in turn are a weight gain factor that potentially leads to obesity- a risk factor for high blood pressure.
So where exactly is the truth? The whole idea revolves around the calorie content of a drink, how much you consume per seating, and the frequency or rate of your consumption each day.
Red vs. White Wine
Red wine has always been said to be “healthier” than its white counterpart. The explanation behind that is that the antioxidant properties, as well as the flavonoids found in red wine, are associated with lowered LDL (remember the bad cholesterol?) levels in the blood system. White wine, on the other hand, has the same characteristic features as red wine except that the flavonoid and antioxidant levels are lower.
Be sure to also take a look at “Can You Mix Red and White Wine?” to see what people think of mixing red with white wine and see what kind of mixtures you can get.
Drinking Precautions
Drinking in moderation is advised-a repeated binge drinking culture has long-term adverse effects on your health. It is worse in those who already have a lower or higher blood pressure threat as it can lead to early and sudden death.
Too much alcohol also leads to cirrhosis, cancer, pancreatitis, accidents, and addiction (alcohol dependence). It interferes with the effectiveness of blood pressure medications and increases their side effects.
Those under blood-thinning medications should take extra precaution when consuming wine as it is also said to cause blood thinning. A combination of these two can be life-threatening.
Our bodies act differently. What works for you will not necessarily work for another person and vice versa. You must consult and take your doctor’s advice.
For more on wine and alcohol content, be sure to read “Definitive Guide To Wine Alcohol Content (Infographic)“.
If you are under blood pressure medication, be sure to consult your doctor before taking wine to be sure it doesn’t affect their functioning. Your age and general health will determine the type of medications prescribed for you.
Thank you for reading with us today! Be sure to check out related articles to keep your wine interest high like “8 Wines That Don’t Taste Like Alcohol” or even “Be Aware Of These 6 High Alcohol Content Wines“.
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