Alcohol and Hypertension

Abstract

G iven the social significance of alcohol worldwide it is not surprising that there is continuing strong interest in the relation between alcohol and hypertension. Recent research continues to address unresolved questions concerning the balance between the medical hazards and the cardiovascular benefits of alcohol, the possible significance of different types of beverage, the role of different drinking patterns for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and mechanisms underlying the pressor effects of ethanol. These issues all need to be considered in the context of social aspects of drinking and effects on noncardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Epidemiologic data relating the type or quantity of alcohol consumption to blood pressure or cardiovascular disease needs to be viewed with circumspection from a number of viewpoints. First, heavier drinkers or problems drinkers are far less likely to participate in surveys than others. Second, alcohol consumption past or present is notoriously underreported. Third, drinking patterns are difficult to quantify and often not reported at all. The type, quantity, and pattern of drinking are all highly correlated with socioeconomic and other lifestyle behaviors, 1 many of which may not be measured or not measured accurately enough for adequate adjustments in statistical models. A relation between average weekly alcohol consumption, blood pressure level, and hypertension prevalence has been consistent worldwide and continues to be studied in different populations to evaluate its contribution in relation to other risk factors. However, because of the above issues some caveats should be put on interpretation of data where authors emphatically imply causal relationships from statistical associations.The more recent cross-sectional studies have concentrated on the effects of pattern of drinking and the consumption of alcohol with or without food, beverage type, and the relative effects of alcohol on hypertension subtypes. Pattern of Drinking, Beverage Type, and Effects on Hypertension SubtypesThe relationship between the pattern of alcohol drinking and the risk of hypertension was addressed in a cross-sectional study of 2609 New Yorkers free from other cardiovascular disease 2 and considered further in an accompanying editorial 3 in which some of the key issues surrounding the topic were discussed. Compared with lifetime abstainers, those who reported drinking on a daily basis or apart from food had a significantly higher risk of hypertension, but this effect disappeared after accounting for the amount of alcohol consumed in the previous 30 days. When current drinkers only were studied and adjustment made for the amount of alcohol consumed in the previous 30 days, the risk of being hypertensive increased (64%) only in those who said they drank without food. Preference for any one type of beverage did not influence the association but the important potential confounder of dietary habits was not assessed. Nevertheless this finding was consistent with an earlier study of Italian...

Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Hypertension in Women and Men

“…22 In women, we found a possible J-shaped association in which light-to-moderate alcohol consumption modestly lowered hypertension risk, whereas heavier consumption of Ն4 drinks per day significantly increased hypertension risk. This association largely , and parental history of MI Ͻ60 years (no or yes).…”

Physio-pathological effects of alcohol on the cardiovascular system: its role in hypertension and cardiovascular disease

“…Almost all of them have shown that habitual drinkers have a higher BP Alcohol, blood pressure and cardiovascular disease Y Kawano and higher prevalence of hypertension than nondrinkers. [1][2][3][54][55][56][57][58] These associations have been observed regardless of race, gender, age and the type of alcohol ( Figure 2). Although some studies suggest the presence of a threshold regarding the pressor effect of alcohol, 59,60 the relationship between the level of alcohol consumption and BP is usually linear.…”

“…It has been estimated that about 10% of hypertension in the general population can be attributed to alcohol. [1][2][3] The relationship between alcohol and BP seems to be independent of confounding variables. Increases in the body weight and abdominal fat associated with alcohol consumption, however, may have a role in alcohol-related hypertension.…”

“…The relationship between alcohol and hypertension is well known, and a restriction of alcohol intake is widely recommended as a part of lifestyle modifications in the management of hypertension. [1][2][3][4][5][6] Alcohol has both pressor and depressor actions, however, and the genetic susceptibility regarding alcohol metabolism influences the cardiovascular effect of alcohol. 3,7 The effect of alcohol on blood pressure (BP) is also modified by several factors, such as the level of consumption, time period after the last drink and overall drinking behavior.…”

Association of blood pressure levels with the effects of alcohol intake on the vasculature in Japanese men

“…Regular alcohol intake has been reported to be associated with a doserelated increase in blood pressure, 15 and some studies have suggested that the increase in blood pressure due to alcohol intake is a risk factor for cardiovascular events. 3,4,15,16 Therefore, the inconsistent findings with regard to the relationship between alcohol intake and vascular damage might be attributable, at least in part, to the differences in blood pressure levels of the study subjects. Recently, we showed that even increased blood pressure (X130/85 mm Hg) levels are associated with accelerated arterial stiffening.…”