Pressor effect of moderate alcohol consumption in man: a proposed mechanism.

Ingestion of alcohol was associated with a highly significant increase in systolic blood pressure and heart rate which occurred before the blood alcohol reached its peak concentration of 16.9 (s.e.m. = 1.1) mol/1. Drinking non-alcoholic cold liquids caused a marked but transient fall in adrenaline and a rise in noradrenaline concentration. Alcohol prevented this fall in adrenaline and led to a sustained increase in noradrenaline concentration. These changes may be implicated in the elevation of blood pressure associated with alcohol consumption.