Moderate wine drinkers have lower hypertension-related mortality: a prospective cohort study in French men

Background: For a given blood pressure, the risk of death from coronary artery disease is much higher in northern Europe and the United States than in Mediterranean countries. Objective: In this prospective cohort study, we tested the hypothesis that regular wine drinking reduces the hypertension-related risk of death. Design: We used data from 36 583 healthy middle-aged men who had normal results on an electrocardiogram and were not taking drugs for cardiovascular disease risk factors. The subjects underwent a comprehensive health appraisal at the Center for Preventive Medicine between 1 January 1978 and 31 December 1985. Mortality from all causes and from specific causes during a 13–21-y follow-up was recorded. Results: In a Cox model adjusted for 6 confounding variables, moderate wine drinkers (those who consumed60 g alcohol/d and no beer) with systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 158, 139, or 116 mm Hg had significantly lower risks of death from all causes by 23%, 27%, and 37%, respectively, than did abstainers. Even for the highest quartile of blood pressure, moderate wine drinkers were protected from all-cause mortality. No significant reduction in all-cause mortality in relation to SBP was observed in other drinkers (those who consumed 60 g alcohol/d or who consumed beer and wine). Conclusion: A moderate intake of wine is associated with a lower risk of mortality from all causes in persons with hypertension. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;80:621–5.