Association between the incidence of hypertension and alcohol consumption pattern and the alcohol flushing response

Excess alcohol consumption is associated with hypertension, and this association depends on the alcohol consumption pattern and alcohol flushing response. In a 12-year follow-up study, researchers investigated the relationship between the alcohol consumption pattern and incidence of hypertension in the Korean population.
1,366 Korean participants in the Ansung–Ansan cohort study without hypertension at baseline were classified into four alcohol consumption patterns: never-drinking, light alcohol consumption, moderate alcohol consumption, and heavy alcohol consumption, and as flushers or non-flushers in response to alcohol.
In flushers, moderate and heavy alcohol consumption patterns increased the risk of incident hypertension compared with never-drinkers [moderate: HR 1.811 (95% CI 1.084–3.028); heavy: HR 2.494 (95% CI 1.185–5.247)], but non-flushers were not associated with increased risk of incident hypertension according to the alcohol consumption pattern. In addition, a heavy alcohol consumption pattern increased the risk of hypertension among flushers compared with non-flushers [HR 2.232 (95% CI 1.054–4.728)].
In this 12-year follow-up study, the authors observed that moderate and heavy alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of hypertension in flushers but not in non-flushers. Especially, a heavy alcohol consumption pattern in flushers markedly increased the risk of hypertension.
Source: Min-Gyu Yoo, Yoo Jeong Lee, Han Byul Jang, Hyo-Jin Kim, Hye-Ja Lee, Sang Ick Park, Association between the incidence of hypertension and alcohol consumption pattern and the alcohol flushing response: A 12-year follow-up study, Alcohol, Volume 89, 2020, Pages 43-48, ISSN 0741-8329.