Retarded development of hypertension in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats following chronic alcohol...

The influence of chronic alcohol consumption on blood pressure was examined in normotensive Wistar/Kyoto rats (WKY) and in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR-SP). Ethanol, administered in drinking water from 5 weeks of age to produce moderate blood alcohol levels, substantially retarded the development of hypertension in SHR-SP and caused a mild reduction of blood pressure in WKY. Alcohol withdrawal caused an acute rise in blood pressure in both strains, followed by a reduction to the subnormal levels previously induced by alcohol treatment. This sustained antihypertensive effect of alcohol was not attributable to reductions of body weight or fluid intake.