Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure?

Excessive alcohol use can raise your blood pressure to an unhealthy level. Heavy drinkers who cut back to moderate drinking can lower their systolic blood pressure by two to four points and their diastolic pressure by one to two points.

If you have high blood pressure, avoid alcohol or drink it in moderation. Moderate drinking is two drinks a day if you're a man younger than age 65 or one drink a day if you're a woman or older than age 65. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1 ounce of 100-proof whiskey.

Keep in mind that alcoholic drinks are often high in calories and may contribute to unwanted weight gain. Also, alcohol can interfere with the effectiveness of some blood pressure medications and increase their side effects.