⊙ Hypertension is a disorder of the circulatory system that represents the single largest threat to health and longevity globally.
⊙ Alcohol is a significant contributing cause of hypertension. Hypertension itself is the leading cause of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and dementia.
⊙ Alcohol’s role as contributing cause of hypertension has been neglected for too long.
⊙ A recent policy brief from the World Heart Federation concluded that alcohol has played a major role in the near-doubling of the global prevalence of cardiovascular disease.
⊙ Recognition of alcohol’s substantial causal role in the genesis of hypertension and related disease is belatedly being included in clinical guidelines for the management of high blood pressure.
⊙ Physicians’ knowledge of lifestyle changes linked with improved health has been shown to be highest for taking regular exercise and reducing body weight and lowest for quitting smoking and reducing alcohol use.
⊙ Alcohol’s causal role in hypertension is supported by (i) physiological research
considering effects on the heart and blood vessels (ii) epidemiological research describing associations over time between alcohol use, blood pressure and hypertension.
⊙ High quality clinical and experimental studies show that alcohol intake increasesblood pressure.
⊙ High quality epidemiological studies show alcohol intake aggravates echanisms thatlead to hypertension, such as inelasticity and thickness of arteries.
⊙ High quality studies with randomization find no evidence that low level alcohol use has beneficial effects on blood pressure or hypertension.
⊙ A growing number scientific critiques questions the hypothesis that alcohol in low doses can be cardioprotective.
⊙ The value of evidence-informed prevention approaches to reducing individual health and societal burdens from hypertension has not yet been fully realised. Hypertension is largely a preventable disease and many modifiable risk factors have been identified. The World Health Organisation for example recommends reducing salt intake, eating more fruit and vegetables, getting more regular exercise, avoiding tobacco, reducing alcohol intake, limiting saturated fats and eliminating trans fats.
⊙ Almost half of all people with hypertension remain unaware of their health status. Therefore it is necessary to point attention towards modifiable and highly prevalent risk factors for hypertension.
⊙ The most cost-effective means of reducing hypertension and related health harms in a population are policies which reduce overall population alcohol consumption.
⊙ Important improvements in blood pressure readings can be expected after as little as one month of going free from alcohol use.
