Alcohol consumption in relation to aortic stiffness and aortic wave reflections: a cross-sectional study in healthy postmenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
Moderate alcohol consumption has been postulated to be cardioprotective. Such an effect might be reflected in large-artery properties, such as arterial stiffness and wave reflections.


RESULTS
Three hundred seventy-one healthy postmenopausal women aged 50 to 74 years were sampled from a population-based study. Alcohol intake was calculated from a standardized questionnaire. Applanation tonometry was applied to assess the augmentation index and aortic pulse-wave velocity. Those drinking 1 to 3, 4 to 9, 10 to 14, and 15 to 35 glasses of alcoholic beverages per week had a 0.044 (95% CI -0.47 to 0.56), -0.085 (95% CI -0.59 to 0.43), -0.869 (95% CI -1.44 to -0.29), and -0.225 (95% CI -0.98 to 0.53) m/s difference in mean pulse-wave velocity compared with nondrinkers, respectively, which indicates a J-shaped relationship. Adjustment for potential confounders of pulse-wave velocity or alcohol intake did not materially change the strength of the association. Adjustment for HDL further attenuated the relationship. The augmentation index was not related to alcohol consumption when adjustments were made for physiological determinants such as age, height, and ejection duration.


CONCLUSIONS
Among postmenopausal women, alcohol consumption is inversely associated with pulse-wave velocity. This supports the presence of a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease with moderate alcohol consumption, which may be mediated in part by HDL cholesterol.
Sierksma
Aafje
A
Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Lebrun
Corinne E I
CE
van der Schouw
Yvonne T
YT
Grobbee
Diederick E
DE
Lamberts
Steven W J
SW
Hendriks
Henk F J
HF
Bots
Michiel L
ML
D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001011:Aorta / Q000502:physiology*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D000431:Ethanol / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008365:Manometry / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology*; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology
D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D008074:Lipoproteins; D000431:Ethanol