Alcoholic beverage consumption, changes in blood pressure, and incidence of hypertension in the Longitudinal Adult Health Study (ELSA-Brasil)
Hypertension was classified in 2015 as the third most important risk factor for the global burden of disease [1] and remained in this position in 2016, in both men and women. According to the World Health Organization, almost 600 million people have elevated blood pressure (BP), with the global growth estimate at 60% more cases by 2025, plus around 7.1 million annual deaths [2].
BP is a physiological variable whose regulation depends on several factors [3]. A cause-and-effect relationship between alcohol and changes in BP was suggested for the first time by Lian [4], studying French soldiers. Since then, many researchers have investigated the effect of long-term consumption of alcohol on BP values and, consequently, the incidence of hypertension. However, the results so far have remained controversial. Some studies report a direct relationship between long-term consumption of alcohol and BP, even after adjustment for confounding factors [5,6]. Others find high BP values in abstainers, suggesting that the regular consumption of alcohol would be associated with lower BP values [7].
