Ditching alcohol, medicating sooner could prevent this disease, experts believe

High blood pressure is a silent killer, experts warn, and nearly half of U.S. adults are at risk. 

Leading health groups say it’s best to act sooner rather than later to prevent long-term damage — and they also recommend cutting out alcohol.

The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) teamed up with 11 other organizations to release new guidelines, published Aug. 14 in the American Heart Association’s peer-reviewed journals Circulation and Hypertension, as well as in JACC, the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The new recommendations, which were refined through a rigorous peer-review process, represent the first major blood pressure update since 2017.

The guidelines detail how doctors tackle high blood pressure and how people can take steps to manage their own, with a focus on prevention, early treatment, and protection of both heart and brain health.

“High blood pressure is the most prevalent and No. 1 modifiable risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases,” Daniel W. Jones, M.D., chair of the guideline writing committee and professor emeritus of the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, Mississippi, told Fox News Digital.

“Members of the writing committee have been monitoring new evidence continually since the last guideline published in 2017,” he added.

What’s changed

Instead of using one-size-fits-all charts, the new approach focuses on the PREVENT (Preventing Risk of cardiovascular disease Events) method, a tool that calculates a person’s 10- and 30-year risk of heart attack or stroke. 

In addition to blood pressure, it also considers cholesterol, kidney health, metabolic issues, and geographical location. 

The guidelines also urge doctors to act earlier. That could mean prescribing medication sooner or tapping into newer options like GLP-1 drugs for certain patients. 

Another new recommendation was to cut out alcohol — a change from the prior guidance for people to limit consumption.

“A lot of people enjoy drinking, but because the evidence is there, we want you to make an informed decision,” Jones said.

“There’s a lot of individual variability with the relationship between alcohol and blood pressure, but we put forward the ideal as abstinence, and for those who choose to drink, less than one for women and less than two for men.”

Jones called the new alcohol guidance one of the two “most notable changes in the 2025 guidelines,” along with reducing sodium intake from 2300 mg a day to 1500 mg a day.

The experts also spotlighted the need to manage blood pressure during pregnancy to protect mothers and babies.

Some of the prior standards still apply, like managing stress through exercise and maintaining a healthy weight, with a goal of at least a 5% reduction in body weight in adults who are overweight or obese.

Nutrition remains a major factor, with recommendations to eat a healthy diet high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and low-fat or nonfat dairy, as well as lean meats and poultry, fish and non-tropical oils.

These habits, combined with earlier medical intervention when needed, could dramatically reduce long-term complications, experts say.

The blood pressure criteria remain the same as the 2017 guidelines, as seen in the chart below.

Research shows that controlling blood pressure earlier in life can also help prevent dementia and preserve brain health.

“There is now more clear and robust evidence that intensive lowering of blood pressure reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia,” Jones added.