|
E-mail this page to a friend!
Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Men with High Blood Pressure Drinking Moderate
Amounts of Alcohol May Lower Risk of Heart Attack
Also found rates of stroke and death from heart
disease did not differ from non-drinkers
January 2, 2007 - Hypertension affects over half of
older Americans 60 and older, and some 65 million people of all ages
in the U.S., making it a massive public health burden. Its
associated with a twofold increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)
and total mortality. Men with high blood pressure are often advised not
to drink alcohol, which is known to increase blood pressure. A new
study, however, has found that, among hypertensive men, moderate alcohol
consumption was associated with a decreased risk of fatal and non-fatal
heart attack.
| |
Related Stories |
|
| |
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements
Moderate Drinking May Help Older Women Live Longer,
Better
Women in 70's see significant
benefits in cardiovascular health
and overall quality of life
December 14, 2006 There is another study finding that moderate
drinking may lead to increased quality of life and survival for older
women. Read
more...
Hypertension Guidelines Fail to Improve Blood
Pressure Control in Diabetics
Second
study finds adolescent pupil size predicts later complications; ADA
publishes new clinical practice recommendations
December 27, 2006 The year ends with bad news for
those involved in the battle against diabetes.
Read more...
Senior Citizens See Decrease in Incidence of Stroke
in Last 50 Years
Death within 30 days decreased significantly in men
but not women
December 26, 2006 - The incidence of stroke in the
U.S. over the past 50 years has declined, although the severity of
stroke has not, according to a study in the December 27 issue of JAMA.
For senior citizens, age 65 and older, the lifetime risk of clinical
stroke by age 90 decreased from 19.5 percent to 14.5 percent in men and
from 18.0 percent to 16.1 percent in women.
Read more...
Death Risk Jumps for Heart Failure Patients with Low
Systolic Blood Pressure
Heart failure most common hospital discharge
diagnosis for seniors
November 7, 2006 Patients admitted to hospitals
with heart failure and low systolic blood pressure are more likely to
have problems, including a significantly higher risk of death, despite
medical treatment.
Read more...
Hardening of the Arteries Caused by a Communications
Failure
Old arteries not getting message to relax as
they did when young
November 6, 2006 A diagnosis feared by senior citizens "hardening of
the arteries" may be caused by a lack of communications.
Read more...
Read the latest news on Senior
Health & Medicine |
|
Studies have shown that moderate consumption of
alcohol, up to a limit of one to two drinks a day, may decrease the risk
of CVD and total mortality. Drinking more than two drinks a day,
however, may increase the risk of hypertension.
Previous studies that looked at the relationship
between hypertension and CVD mortality showed a link between moderate
consumption and lower CVD mortality in individuals with hypertension.
But no prior studies had examined whether moderate consumption was
associated with non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), such as a heart
attack or stroke, and none had repeatedly collected information on
individual drinking habits.
In this new, long-term study, researchers at the
Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center and Dutch research institute TNO Quality of Life and Wageningen
University, the Netherlands, found that, among hypertensive men,
moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a decreased risk of
fatal and non-fatal heart attack.
The researchers also found that rates of stroke and
death from heart disease and all causes did not differ for hypertensive
men who drank moderate amounts of alcohol and those who drank no
alcohol.
This was the first study to our knowledge that
examined the risk of heart attacks among men with high blood pressure
who drank moderately. Because excess alcohol intake clearly increases
blood pressure, many men with hypertension are counseled not to drink,
but our results suggest that may not be necessary if men drink safely
and responsibly, said lead author Joline Beulens, a PhD-fellow at TNO
Quality of Life and Wageningen University and a visiting scholar at HSPH
when the study began.
The study appears in the January 2, 2007, issue of
the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers analyzed data from 11,711
hypertensive men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which
was launched in 1986. Every four years, participants filled out a survey
and noted the frequency with which they drank beer, red wine, white wine
and liquor. Cases of non-fatal MI, fatal heart disease and stroke were
documented from 1986 to 2002.
The results showed that, during that time span, 653
cases of total MI were documented, 279 fatal and 374 non-fatal. The
authors found that consuming one to two drinks a day was associated with
a decreased risk of fatal and non-fatal MI. No association was observed
between alcohol consumption and risks of cardiovascular and total
mortality. The study also investigated whether men changed their alcohol
consumption after hypertension was diagnosed and whether specific
alcoholic beverages or number of drinking days per week influenced the
risk of heart attack.
Prior research has shown that one way alcohol
consumption decreases the risk of heart disease is by increasing the
levels of HDL cholesterol and possibly thinning the blood. Although
those mechanisms were not the focus of this study, the relationship
between alcohol drinking and lower heart attack risk remained after
accounting for many differences between drinkers and non-drinkers,
including their diet, physical activity and weight. Very light drinkers
who consumed less than one drink every two to three days did not have
lower risk than non-drinkers. However, because drinking three or more
drinks a day increases blood pressure, it is important to adhere to the
USDA guideline of one to two drinks a day or less.
The studys limitations include that only male
health care professionals participated, so it is not known whether the
findings apply to women or men in different occupations.
It is important for all individuals with high
blood pressure to discuss their alcohol intake with their physicians, as
heavy consumption, even occasionally, can raise blood pressure. However,
our results suggest that men with high blood pressure seem to have the
same lower risk associated with moderate drinking that other men do,
said Kenneth Mukamal, internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
The study was supported by grants from the National
Institutes of Health, a travel grant from the Dutch Heart Association
and a research exchange award from European Research Advisory Board.
Alcohol Consumption and Risk for Coronary Heart
Disease Among Men With Hypertension, Joline W.J. Beulens, Eric B. Rimm,
Alberto Ascherio, Donna Spiegelman, Henk F.J. Hendriks, Kenneth J.
Mukamal, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2007; 146:10-19.
Harvard School of Public Health is dedicated to
advancing the public's health through learning, discovery, and
communication. More than 300 faculty members are engaged in teaching and
training the 900-plus student body in a broad spectrum of disciplines
crucial to the health and well being of individuals and populations
around the world. Programs and projects range from the molecular biology
of AIDS vaccines to the epidemiology of cancer; from risk analysis to
violence prevention; from maternal and children's health to quality of
care measurement; from health care management to international health
and human rights. For more information on the school visit:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu
More from the National Institutes of Health
●
High Blood Pressure
NIHSeniorHealth (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
●
High Blood Pressure (National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
●
Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure:
Mission Possible (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Links to PDF
Also available in
Spanish
●
Your Guide to Lowering High Blood
Pressure (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Click to More Senior News on the
Front Page
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
