Alcohol and blood pressure: results from the Luebeck Blood Pressure Study

Data from the Luebeck Blood Pressure Study, a cross-sectional study on a random sample (n = 3,100) of the 30- to 69-year-old population of Luebeck, were analyzed with regard to alcohol consumption and blood pressure. Putative confounders such as obesity, smoking, physical activity, and educational attainment were controlled for by multiple regression analyses. Luebeck men who consumed more than 40 g of alcohol per day revealed 5-6 mm Hg higher mean systolic and 4-5 mm Hg higher mean diastolic blood pressure values. A J-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and systolic blood pressure was seen in Luebeck men. According to our calculations, about 7% of hypertension among Luebeck men is due to alcohol consumption of greater than or equal to 40 g/day. Among women, strong interactions between age and alcohol consumption were found, therefore two age groups, 30-44 and 45-69 years, were analyzed separately. In the younger age group the alcohol-blood pressure relationship was not pronounced. In the older age group a strong interaction between alcohol consumption and smoking was found. For female smokers steep increases in the adjusted mean diastolic (5.2 mm Hg) and systolic (9.6 mm Hg) blood pressure values were seen for the alcohol consumption category greater than or equal to 20 g/day. For female nonsmokers a flat curve was seen with regard to mean diastolic and systolic blood pressure values. The data from the Munich Blood Pressure Study show a very similar relationship between alcohol consumption and mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure values.