Relationship of Self-Reported Alcohol Consumption to Ambulatory Blood Pressure in a Sample of Healthy Adults

BACKGROUND Habitual alcohol consumption has shown positive associations with office blood pressure (BP). Less well established, however, is alcohol consumption's relationship to various measures of ambulatory BP (ABP) in healthy, normotensive persons. METHODS We investigated alcohol consumption's relationship to mean ABP, ABP variability, and the ABP arterial stiffness index in a sample of nonsmoking adults who were free of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD; n = 157). Total alcohol consumption, intake of specific alcoholic beverages, and binge drinking were assessed by self-report. ABP was measured every 30 min for 24 h. RESULTS In multivariable-adjusted linear regression models, higher levels of total weekly alcohol consumption were associated with higher ABP. For those consuming 0, 1-2, and 3 or more alcoholic drinks per week, mean 24-h systolic ABP values were 112.2, 115.2, and 116.6 mm Hg, respectively (P = 0.05), and mean 24-h diastolic ABP values were 70.6, 71.9, and 74.2 mm Hg, respectively (P = 0.02). Beer and liquor consumption showed stronger positive associations with ABP than did wine consumption. Among nonbinge drinkers and binge drinkers, mean 24-h systolic ABP values were 113.3 and 118.6 mm Hg, respectively (P = 0.04) and mean 24-h diastolic ABP values were 71.3 and 75.0 mm Hg, respectively (P = 0.04). Alcohol consumption was not significantly related to ABP variability or the ABP arterial stiffness index. CONCLUSION Total habitual alcohol consumption, consumption of specific alcoholic drinks, and binge drinking are associated with higher mean ABP in healthy, normotensive adults.