Alcohol, nutrient intake, and hypertension in US adults.

Data from the first Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed with multivariate statistical techniques to determine whether there was evidence for a contributory role of alcohol in hypertension and to provide a suitable perspective on the importance of nutrient variables compared with other established risk factors for hypertension. The results of these analyses reaffirm the importance of alcohol and sodium intakes on blood pressures among US adults. Potassium (inversely) and phosphorus (directly) were also identified as important nutrient predictors of higher systolic blood pressure. Calcium intake was significantly related to systolic blood pressure only among nonwhite men and was not a significant predictor of systolic pressure overall. In addition, the results of the study reemphasized the paramount importance of age, race, and obesity in determining hypertension. Current nutrient intakes, by comparison, are relatively less important.