Age-dependent association of alcohol drinking with pulse pressure

Attenuation by habitual alcohol drinking of the associations of obesity with blood pressure and pulse pressure

BACKGROUND

Obesity and alcohol drinking are known to be risk factors for hypertension. However, it remains to be determined whether alcohol affects the relationships of obesity with blood pressure and pulse pressure.

METHODS

The participants in this study were 29 171 men who had received annual health checkups. Relationships of BMI with blood pressure and pulse pressure were investigated in four subject groups divided by average daily alcohol consumption (grams of ethanol/day), non-, light (<22), moderate (≥22 and <44) and heavy (≥44) drinkers.

RESULTS

BMI was significantly correlated with SBP and DBP levels both in nondrinkers and drinkers. The strength of the correlations was significantly weaker in drinkers than in nondrinkers. Odds ratios for hypertension in subjects with vs. subjects without obesity tended to be lower with an increase in alcohol intake (odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals: 4.09 (3.69-4.52) in nondrinkers; 3.11 (2.62-3.68) in light drinkers; 2.87 (2.61-3.16) in moderate drinkers; 2.81 (2.49-3.18) in heavy drinkers). Pulse pressure was weakly but significantly associated with BMI and obesity, and these associations were significantly weaker in heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers. There were significant odds ratios for hypertension and high pulse pressure of the interaction term between obesity and alcohol drinking.

CONCLUSION

The associations of BMI with blood pressure and pulse pressure and the associations of obesity with hypertension and high pulse pressure were weaker in drinkers than in nondrinkers. Thus, alcohol drinking attenuates the associations of obesity with hypertension and high pulse pressure.

Body weight-dependent relationships between alcohol consumption and pulse pressure in middle-aged Japanese women

High pulse pressure is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and excessive alcohol drinking increases the risk of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relationship between alcohol intake and pulse pressure in women and to determine whether body weight influences their relationship. The subjects were 18,791 Japanese middle-aged women, and they were divided into tertile groups for body weight or three different body mass index (BMI, kg/m²) groups (low BMI <22; middle BMI ≥22 and <25; high BMI ≥25). The subjects in each group were further divided into four groups of nondrinkers, occasional drinkers, regular light drinkers, and regular heavy drinkers by habitual alcohol consumption. Pulse pressure levels were compared between nondrinkers and drinkers in each group for body weight or BMI. Pulse pressure was significantly higher in regular heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers in the first tertile group for body weight and in the low BMI group but not in the second and third tertile groups for body weight and in the middle and high BMI groups. In all tertile groups and all BMI groups, pulse pressure was not significantly different in occasional drinkers and regular light drinkers than in nondrinkers. In women with lower body weight, heavy drinking was positively associated with pulse pressure, while this association was not found in women with middle or higher body weight. Thus, body weight potently confounds the relationship between alcohol consumption and pulse pressure.

Alcohol and the older adult: a comprehensive review

Alcohol consumption in the older adult is of major concern with the advent of baby boomers coming into the over 65-age bracket. Alcohol consumption has been touted as beneficial for health, and while that may be accurate for moderate consumption in younger persons, there is considerable risk associated with increased alcohol intake in older adults. This increase is partially due to age-related physiological changes, existing diagnoses, number of comorbid conditions, and increased use of prescribed and/or over-the-counter medications, coupled with other concerns. This review addresses the current research regarding ethanol consumption in older adults and all-cause mortality as well as several conditions more frequently seen in the geriatric population. These conditions include vascular diseases, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, hepatic disorders, dental and oro-facial problems, bone density decline, and falls and fractures. In addition, drug interactions and recent research into select vitamin and mineral considerations with increased alcohol intake in older persons are addressed. While recommendations for alcohol intake have not been specifically established for age ranges within the 65-year-and-older bracket, and practitioners do not routinely assess alcohol intake or ethanol related adverse events in this population, common sense approaches to monitoring will become increasingly important as the generation of "boomers" who believe that alcohol intake improves health comes of age.

Alcohol consumption and cardiovascular risk factors in older lifelong wine drinkers: the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

A protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption on the cardiovascular system has consistently been reported, but limited evidence has been produced on the association of alcohol with metabolic factors in the elderly. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between different levels of current alcohol consumption and cardiovascular risk factors in a representative sample of elderly Italian men, mainly wine drinkers.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This is a cross-sectional multi-centre study on a population-based sample of Italian men aged 65-84 years, drawn from the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (ILSA) cohort. The analyses included 1896 men. Almost all the drinkers (98%) drank wine as a lifelong habit. Adjusted ORs for risk levels for cardiovascular factors (BMI, waist circumference, fibrinogen, α2 protein, white blood cells, HDL cholesterol, Apo A-I, total cholesterol, Apo B-I, triglycerides, LDL, glycated hemoglobin, insulin, fasting plasma glucose, HOMA IR, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) were estimated, comparing drinkers with teetotalers using multivariate logistic regression models. We found alcohol consumption in older age associated with healthier hematological values of fibrinogen, HDL cholesterol, Apo A-I lipoprotein and insulin, but it was also associated with a worse hematological picture of total, LDL cholesterol levels, and systolic pressure.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicated in elderly moderate wine drinkers a noticeably safe metabolic, inflammatory and glycemic profile that might balance higher blood pressure, leading to a net benefit. These findings however need to be placed in relation to the known adverse social and health effects of heavy drinking.

History of antihypertensive therapy influences the relationships of alcohol with blood pressure and pulse pressure in older men

BACKGROUND

Blood pressure is known to be higher in heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers. The aim of this study was to determine whether the alcohol-blood pressure relationship is modified by therapy for hypertension in the elderly.

METHODS

Men aged > or = 65 years (n = 1,396) with or without current history of antihypertensive therapy were divided into four groups by alcohol intake (non-, light (<22 g ethanol/day), heavy (> or = 22 and <44 g ethanol/day), and very heavy (> or = 44 g ethanol/day) drinkers). Blood pressure and pulse pressure were compared among the groups.

RESULTS

Systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were significantly higher in subjects receiving antihypertensive therapy than in subjects not receiving antihypertensive therapy, whereas diastolic blood pressure was not different between the two groups. In multivariate analysis with adjustment for age, smoking history, and body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse pressure in the group not receiving antihypertensive therapy were significantly higher in heavy and very heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers, whereas in the group receiving antihypertensive therapy, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse pressure were not different between each drinker group and the nondrinker group.

CONCLUSIONS

Alcohol intake was associated with blood pressure and pulse pressure in older men not receiving therapy for hypertension but not in those receiving antihypertensive therapy. The indicated possibility that changes in drinking do not have a substantial impact on blood pressure among treated hypertensives should be examined in longitudinal studies and preferably in clinical trials.