Drinking frequency modifies an association between salt intake and blood pressure: A cohort study

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Hypertension Research
• Nutritional Epidemiology

Background:

• Salt sensitivity is a significant risk factor for hypertension.
• Understanding factors that modify salt sensitivity is crucial for public health.
• Alcohol consumption is a common lifestyle behavior with potential health implications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the clinical impact of alcohol consumption frequency on the association between salt intake and blood pressure.
• To determine if alcohol drinking modifies salt sensitivity in a Japanese working population.
• To provide evidence for lifestyle modification strategies in hypertension management.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 451 employees in Japan, with health checkups in 2017 and 2018.
• Assessed self-reported drinking frequency (rarely, occasionally, daily) and changes in salt intake (estimated from spot urine).
• Used multivariable-adjusted linear regression to analyze the association between changes in salt intake and blood pressure, considering drinking frequency.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant, drinking frequency-dependent association was observed between changes in salt intake and changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
• Daily drinkers showed enhanced salt sensitivity compared to rare or occasional drinkers.
• P-values for interaction confirmed a significant effect modification by drinking frequency (P=.028 for systolic, P=.006 for diastolic).

Conclusions:

• Higher alcohol consumption frequency is associated with enhanced salt sensitivity.
• Reducing alcohol intake may be a viable strategy to improve salt sensitivity, particularly in frequent drinkers.
• These findings highlight the interplay between diet, lifestyle, and hypertension risk.