Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Research Unit, Regional Hospital of Bellinzona and Valli, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland.
Institute of Biomedicine, University of Southern Switzerland, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland.
Nutrients. 2022 Mar 12;14(6):1207. doi: 10.3390/nu14061207.
Arterial stiffness as assessed by Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) represents an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease. Several dietary compounds and lifestyle factors could influence arterial stiffness. The debate on the significance of the correlation between alcohol consumption and arterial stiffness is still open, given that the relationship is complex and potentially affected by several factors such as alcohol type, consumption levels, gender and age differences.
This systematic literature review aims to examine the evidence supporting an association between alcohol use and PWV, in electronic databases including PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library, from January 2010 to November 2020. Screening and full-text reviews were performed by three investigators and data extraction by two. Considering the significant heterogeneity of data only a qualitative analysis (systematic review) was performed.
A total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. Alcohol consumption was independently associated with arterial stiffness in a J-shaped way in most of the studies included. A benefit of alcohol consumption on arterial stiffness was found in four experimental studies, whilst an unfavorable increasing linear association was found in four others. Associations were confirmed with both oscillometric and tonometric PWV assessment methods. In some studies, a gender and age correlation was found with a more pronounced association in older males. In all studies elevated levels of alcohol consumption were associated with a worsening of arterial stiffness.
Despite the variable findings across studies, the current review provides preliminary evidence that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is associated with arterial stiffness values lower than expected, and evidence that high doses accelerate arterial ageing. These findings could be useful for clinicians who provide recommendations for patients at cardiovascular (CV) risk. Nevertheless, given the heterogeneity of study designs, interventions, measurement methods and statistical evaluations, the protective role of moderate alcohol consumption on arterial stiffness is likely but not certain, warranting additional trials and evidence.
脉搏波速度（PWV）评估的动脉僵硬度是心血管疾病的独立预测因子。一些饮食化合物和生活方式因素可能会影响动脉僵硬度。鉴于这种关系复杂，并且可能受到酒精类型、饮酒水平、性别和年龄差异等多种因素的影响，关于饮酒与动脉僵硬度之间相关性的重要性的争论仍未解决。
本系统文献综述旨在检查支持酒精使用与 PWV 之间存在关联的证据，检索了电子数据库，包括 PubMed/MEDLINE 和 Cochrane 图书馆，时间范围为 2010 年 1 月至 2020 年 11 月。三名研究人员进行了筛选和全文审查，两名研究人员进行了数据提取。由于数据的异质性显著，仅进行了定性分析（系统综述）。
共有 13 项研究符合纳入标准。大多数研究表明，酒精摄入与动脉僵硬度呈 J 形独立相关。四项实验研究发现酒精摄入对动脉僵硬度有益，而另外四项研究则发现不利的线性递增关联。使用振荡和测压脉搏波评估方法均证实了这些关联。在一些研究中，发现了性别和年龄的相关性，在年龄较大的男性中相关性更为明显。在所有研究中，酒精水平升高与动脉僵硬度恶化相关。
尽管各项研究的结果存在差异，但本综述初步提供了证据表明，轻至中度饮酒与预期相比动脉僵硬度值较低，并且高剂量会加速动脉老化。这些发现可能对为心血管（CV）风险患者提供建议的临床医生有用。然而，鉴于研究设计、干预措施、测量方法和统计评估的异质性，适度饮酒对动脉僵硬度的保护作用可能存在，但并不确定，需要进一步的试验和证据。
