NHMRC workshop on non-pharmacological methods of lowering blood pressure. Is alcohol use a preventable cause of hypertension?

There is good evidence that hypertension is more frequently observed in alcohol-users than in non-users, and that the prevalence of hypertension is proportional to the average dose of alcohol consumed. If this association is causal, the 20% to 50% of hypertension in middle-aged Australian men which is attributable to alcohol use could prove to be entirely preventable. On the other hand, if the association is largely secondary, that is, if alcohol use and hypertension share genetic and other causes in common, then intervention to reduce alcohol consumption could have little effect on the prevalence of hypertension. Further work is needed to study the mechanisms by which alcohol use may cause hypertension, to identify the genetic factors which may determine susceptibility to hypertension in alcohol-users, and to carry out controlled intervention studies to test the hypothesis that alcohol use is a reversible cause of hypertension.