Alcohol Intake Tied to Elevated Blood Pressure
By Amy Orciari Herman
Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM
Alcohol intake appears to have detrimental effects on blood pressure, particularly among men, according to two reports in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
In the first, a meta-analysis comprising over 360,000 adults and 90,000 new cases of hypertension, researchers observe that men who averaged 1-2 drinks daily had increased risk for hypertension relative to nondrinkers (relative risk, 1.2), with risk increasing as alcohol intake increased. Among women, hypertension risk began to increase at 3 or more drinks per day.
The second study included 4700 adults aged 18-45 who answered survey questions about binge-drinking. Roughly 25% of men and 12% of women reported binge-drinking more than 12 times in the past year, and 29% of men and 25% of women reported doing so 1-12 times. After multivariable adjustment, men who binge-drank had higher systolic BP than non-binge-drinkers, and those who binge-drank more than 12 times/year had higher systolic BP than those who binge-drank less (122 vs. 119 mm Hg). This association was not observed among women.
An editorialist writes, "An individual's decision to drink, and at what level, should be motivated by their own personal circumstances. ... Ultimately, our job boils down to empowering an individual to make an informed decision about their level of alcohol intake and how this may influence their long- and short-term health."
