Alcohol intake and aortic stiffness in young men and women
article
Background: Moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to protect against cardiovascular disease. Aortic stiffness can be regarded as a marker of cardiovascular disease risk. Previously we have shown an inverse to J-shaped association between alcohol intake and aortic stiffness in middle-aged and elderly men and postmenopausal women. Objective: In the present study we examined whether a relation between alcohol intake and aortic stiffness is already present at a younger age. Design: Cross-sectional data of a cohort study in men and women aged 28 years were analysed stratified by gender (240 men and 283 women). Measurements: Alcohol intake was derived from a questionnaire and aortic stiffness was assessed by pulse-wave velocity measurement. Results: In women an alcoholic beverage intake of ≥1 glass/day is associated with a 0.36 m/s (95% confidence interval, -0.58 to -0.14) lower pulse-wave velocity compared with non-drinkers. In men alcohol intake is also inversely related to pulse-wave velocity, but this was not significant. These findings were independent of age, blood pressure and heart rate. Conclusions: These findings suggest that moderate intake of alcohol may affect vascular stiffness at an early age, notably in women. These findings may be viewed as compatible with a vascular protective effect of alcohol that expresses well before the occurrence of symptomatic cardiovascular disease. © 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Topics
Biomedical ResearchAlcoholAortic stiffnessCardiovascular disease riskPulse-wave velocityYoung men and womenAlcoholAdultAgeAlcohol consumptionAorta diseaseAorta stiffnessAtherosclerosisCardiovascular diseaseCardiovascular riskCorrelation analysisDisease associationFemaleGenderHeart protectionHeart rateHumanMajor clinical studyMalePathogenesisPostmenopausePriority journalPulse waveQuestionnaireAdultAge DistributionAlcohol DrinkingAortic DiseasesBlood Flow VelocityCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansHypertensionMalePulsatile FlowRisk FactorsSex Distribution
TNO Identifier
238414
ISSN
02636352
Source
Journal of Hypertension, 23(4), pp. 731-735.
Pages
731-735
Files
To receive the publication files, please send an e-mail request to TNO Repository.