Alcohol consumption and blood pressure in the adult US population: assessment of gender-related effects.
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to assess the gender-related effects of alcohol consumption on blood pressure (BP) in a representative sample of the adult US population.


METHODS
We examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000. The effects of various risk factors for hypertension on BP were examined with analysis of covariance statistics.


RESULTS
Of the 5448 adults over 20 years of age, 2650 (48.7%) reported the intake of one or more drinks per day over the past year. In this population, the mean +/- SEM age was 46.9 +/- 0.34 years, the body mass index was 24.8 kg/m, 1257 (47.4%) were women, systolic BP was 124.3 +/- 0.44 mmHg and diastolic BP was 72.7 +/- 0.27 mmHg. Hypertension was reported in 21.1%, diabetes in 5.1% and cigarette smoking in 39.7%. A significant effect on systolic BP was shown with age (P < 0.01), body mass index (P < 0.01), race (P = 0.01), gender (P < 0.01) and diabetes (P < 0.01). The interaction with gender and alcohol drinking level was significant (P = 0.02). Post-hoc analysis localized the source of this effect. There was a significant increase in systolic BP between one and three and between one and four, but not between one and two, drinks per day in men. This effect was not observed in women.


CONCLUSIONS
Consistent with previous reports, our study suggests that alcohol intake up to two drinks per day has no effect on BP. There was a gender-related effect of alcohol intake in excess of two drinks per day on BP, with increased BP observed only in men but not in women.
McFarlane
Samy I
SI
Division of Endocrinology/Biostatistics, SUNY-Downstate Medical Center/Kings County Hospital, Brooklyn, New York 11203, USA. smcfarlane@downstate.edu
von Gizycki
Hans
H
Salifu
Moro
M
Deshmukh
Mrunalini
M
Manieram
Maranda
M
Gebreegziabher
Yohannes
Y
Gliwa
Agnieszka A
AA
Bordia
Sonal
S
Shah
Syed
S
Sowers
James R
JR
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors