Binge Drinking Linked to Increased Systolic BP in Men

WEDNESDAY, June 27, 2018 — For men, binge drinking is associated with increased systolic blood pressure and any drinking is associated with an increased relative risk of hypertension, according to two studies published online June 27 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Mariann R. Piano, Ph.D., R.N., from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, Tennessee, and colleagues analyzed data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for adults aged 18 to 45 years who were non-binge drinkers, binge drank one to 12 times, or binge drank more than 12 times in the past year. After controlling for diet and physical activity, the researchers found that compared with non-binge drinkers, both categories of male binge drinkers had higher systolic blood pressure (121.8 and 119 versus 117.5 mm Hg) and total cholesterol (215.5 and 217.9 versus 207.8 mg/dL). There were no effects of binge drinking on total cholesterol or systolic blood pressure in women.

Michael Roerecke, Ph.D., from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto and colleagues examined the correlation between average alcohol consumption and incidence of hypertension among individuals without hypertension. Data were included from 20 articles with 361,254 participants and 90,160 incident cases of hypertension. The researchers found that the incidence of hypertension differed between men and women among individuals drinking one to two drinks per day (relative risk _{women vs men} = 0.79). In men, the relative risks for hypertension were 1.19, 1.51, and 1.74, respectively, for intake of one to two, three to four, and five or more standard drinks per day compared with abstainers.

“Any alcohol consumption was associated with an increase in the risk for hypertension in men,” Roerecke and colleagues write.

One author from the Roerecke study disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text — Piano
Abstract/Full Text — Roerecke

Posted: June 2018

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