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Alcohol consumption and arterial stiffness in men

Objective Moderate alcohol consumption has been proposed to be anti-atherogenic and protect against coronary heart disease. Arterial stiffness provides a summary measure of atherosclerotic arterial damage and cardiovascular risk. A vascular protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption would be reflected in an inverse association between alcohol intake and aortic stiffness. Design A cross-sectional study. Setting The male population of Utrecht. Participants Of 370 men, aged 40–80 years, alcohol intake was calculated from a standardized questionnaire and aortic stiffness was non-invasively assessed by pulse-wave velocity (PWV) measurement of the aorta. Results There were no non-drinkers; therefore the group consuming 0–3 glasses of alcoholic beverage per week was chosen as the reference group in the analyses. Those drinking 4–10, 11–21 and 22–58 glasses of alcoholic beverage per week had a −0.77 m/s (95% confidence interval, −1.26 to −0.28), −0.57 m/s (95% confidence interval, −1.07 to −0.08) and −0.14 m/s (95% confidence interval, −0.65 to 0.36) difference in mean PWV compared with those drinking 0–3 glasses per week. Adjustment for factors that correlated with PWV or alcohol consumption did not change the strength of the association. Conclusion Among men aged 40–80 years there is a J-shaped association between alcohol consumption and PWV. This further supports a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease with moderate alcohol consumption.