Alcoholic beverage consumption, changes in blood pressure, and incidence of hypertension in the Longitudinal Adult Health Study (ELSA-Brasil)

Objectives: Alcohol consumption is generally associated with increased risk of hypertension. We aimed to investigate, prospectively, the effect of alcoholic-beverage consumption on blood pressure (BP) and incidence of hypertension, after a 4-y follow-up, in participants of the Longitudinal Adult Health Study (ELSA-Brasil). Methods: We analyzed information from 3,990 participants (ages 35–74 y), men and women, from educational and research institutions, at baseline (2008–2010) and follow-up (2012–2014). Socioeconomic, hemodynamic, anthropometric, and health data were collected. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥ 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mm Hg and/or use of antihypertensive medication. Change in alcohol consumption (g/d) was estimated by subtracting total consumed at follow-up from total consumed at baseline, and was categorized in tertiles. Results: The consumption of alcoholic beverages was associated with changes in BP and hypertension only in men. Individuals who reduced total consumption of alcohol showed a smaller increase in systolic BP (1.1 versus 2.3 mm Hg; P = 0.03) and diastolic BP (1.3 versus 2.2 mm Hg; P = 0.008) compared to individuals who increased consumption. In addition, individuals in the highest tertiles of total consumption of alcohol (odds ratio [OR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14–2.29) and consumption of beer (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.07–12.13), wine (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.01–2.86), and spirits (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.21–3.32) showed higher odds ratios for hypertension compared to the lowest tertile. Conclusions: Increased consumption of alcoholic beverages was positively associated with increased BP levels and higher chances of developing hypertension in men.