Alcohol and its relationship to blood pressure

Ethanol is a molecule of enduring research interest because its consumption has important social as well as medical implications. With excessive ethanol consumption, there is higher prevalence for hypertension, stroke, cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmias. A principal mechanism by which ethanol exerts these cardiovascular effects is through modulation of blood pressure. In this article, we focus on recent research that pursues information on the effects of alcohol on blood pressure in human subjects, regardless of whether they have hypertension or not. Known means by which alcohol exerts hemodynamic effects are briefly covered, and insights on novel biomediators, such as endothelin and gene-based mechanisms, are presented. Newer tools, such as the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption Questions (AUDIT-C) survey and carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) serum test, are also covered. Reducing excessive alcohol intake can produce a reduction in blood pressure of up to 4 mm Hg, on average, which could substantially affect the rates of stroke and ischemic heart disease.