Alcohol intake and future incidence of hypertension in a general Japanese population: the Hisayama study.

Light, moderate, and heavy alcohol consumers may have a higher tendency to suffer from hypertension than non-consumers of alcoholic beverages.

This study explored the relationship between the consumption of alcohol and the incidence of hypertension in Japanese population. Researchers followed and evaluated the alcohol consumption levels of 1,101 subjects who were above 40 years and had normal blood pressure for a duration of 10 years. The hypertension odds ratios of all the subjects in the study population were also determined.

Researchers found a high prevalence of hypertension among light, moderate, and heavy alcohol drinkers than among non drinkers. The findings of this study further add to the existing body of evidence that light, moderate, and heavy alcohol consumption might be a risk factor for the development hypertension.