Dallas, September 9: Consuming a total of eight or more alcoholic beverages in a week's time may increase the risk of high blood pressure (also called hypertension) among adults with Type 2 diabetes, according to new research. The new study results were published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

"This is the first large study to specifically investigate the association of alcohol intake and hypertension among adults with Type 2 diabetes," said senior study author Matthew J. Singleton, M.D., M.B.E., M.H.S., M.Sc., a chief electrophysiology fellow at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 'Liquor Shops Must Open as Drinking Alcohol Will Remove Coronavirus From Throat': Congress MLA Bharat Kundanpur to Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot.

"Previous studies have suggested that heavy alcohol consumption was associated with high blood pressure, however, the association of moderate alcohol consumption with high blood pressure was unclear," Singleton added.

Researchers examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and blood pressure in more than 10,000 adults with Type 2 diabetes (average age 63, 61 per cent male). All participants had Type 2 diabetes for an average of 10 years prior to enrolling in the study. In addition to 10 years with Type 2 diabetes, they were at increased risk for cardiovascular events because they had pre-existing cardiovascular disease.

In this study, alcohol consumption was categorized as none; light (1-7 drinks per week); moderate (8-14 drinks per week); and heavy (15 or more drinks per week). One alcoholic beverage was equivalent to a 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. The number of drinks per week was self-reported by each participant via a questionnaire when they enrolled in the study.

Blood pressure was categorized according to the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults as normal (below 120/80 mm Hg); elevated (120-129).