Dietary sodium reduction has a mild effect on the reduction of hypertension. Weight loss, while achievable in the short-run with diet alone, may also have only mild effects on hypertension and is very difficult to maintain with diet and/or behavior modification. Alteration of patients' lifestyles to decrease excessive alcohol intake is somewhat controversial. Medications, on the other hand, have clear benefits in terms of blood pressure lowering, and in the case of diuretics and beta-blockers, reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, there is concern about their justified use in mild hypertension since each one has side effects, some of which may have long-term implications, such as alteration in serum lipids. Newer classes of drugs--calcium antagonists, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, alpha blockers--had not previously been compared long-term with diuretics and beta-blockers.