Stay away from beer if hypertensive – Physician

A physician, Dr. Wellington Ogunsanya, has warned that hypertensive patients who still consume alcoholic beverages risk liver damage and heart disease.
Ogunsanya, who is the Medical Director, State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Ijebu-Ode.
He said that people who consume beer and other alcohol beverages heavily stood the risk of rising blood levels.
He said that high blood pressure was one of the leading causes of sudden death and warned hypertensive patients to stop consuming alcohol.
He said: “High blood pressure forces the heart to work harder, which wears out the heart and damages the blood vessels.
“Alcohol consumption is a cause of blood pressure elevation and I want to advice people to desist from heavy drinking in the interest of their health.”
According to Ogunsanya, hypertensive patients who reduced their alcohol consumption were indirectly stabilising their blood pressure to enable them live longer.
Ogunsanya said assumption that the consumption of alcohol had some health benefits should no longer be encouraged.
He advised people to always have periodic check on their blood levels as a precaution against hypertension.