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How alcohol affects your blood pressure
There is good evidence to show that if you drink alcohol in large amounts it can cause your blood pressure to rise.
Committees from the Royal College of Physicians and other Colleges have suggested a limit of 21 units of alcohol per week for men and 14 units of alcohol per week for women. Men have a higher limit because they tend to have larger and heavier bodies with more water in them compared with women and also because they tend to deal with alcohol in the body in a different way.
What is a unit of alcohol?
A unit of alcohol is:
- A small glass of wine (125ml)
- Half a pint of medium strength beer, lager or cider
- A pub measure of a shot of spirits (25ml)
- A pub measure of sherry or fortified wine (50ml)
Some manufacturers have started to label their products, so that you can tell how many units it contains.
