Alcohol type and ideal cardiovascular health among adults of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Background: Light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with favorable cardiovascular health (CVH). However, the association between alcohol type and ideal CVH has not been well-established. We examined the relationship between alcohol type and ideal CVH as measured by the American Heart Association's seven CVH metrics. Methods: We analyzed data from 6,389 men and women aged 45−84 years from a multi-ethnic cohort free of cardiovascular disease. Alcohol type (wine, beer and liquor) was categorized as never, former, 0 but drink other alcohol types, >0 but <1 drink/day, 1−2 drinks/day and >2 drinks/day. A CVH score ranging from 0 to 14 points was created from the seven CVH metrics (Inadequate score, 0–8; average, 9–10; optimal, 11–14). We used multinomial logistic regression to examine the association between alcohol type and CVH, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, health insurance, field site and total calorie intake. Results: The mean (SD) age of participants was 62 (10) years and 53 % were women. Participants who consumed 1−2 drinks/day of wine had higher odds of optimal CVH scores compared to those who never drank wine [adjusted prevalence odds ratio (POR) 1.64 (1.12−2.40)]. In comparison to participants who never drank beer, those who consumed >2 drinks/day of beer had lower odds of optimal CVH scores [0.31 (0.14−0.69)]. Additionally, those who consumed >2 drinks/day of liquor had lower odds of optimal scores compared to those who never drank liquor [0.32 (0.16−0.65)]. Conclusion: Moderate consumption of wine was associated with favorable CVH. However, heavy consumption of beer or liquor was associated with poorer CVH.