It is no surprise that industry publications tout the health benefits of drinking wine. However, the relationship between women, wine and hypertension is not well understood. Moderate drinking, defined by one drink or less a day, has been shown to reduce blood pressure and have an overall protective effect on cardiovascular disease, or CVD. Drinking more, however, is associated with a higher CVD risk.
Hypertension and Women
The leading cause of death in women, as with men, is CVD, to which hypertension is a major contributor. According to the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism," there are gender differences in blood pressure throughout the lifespan. From adolescence through middle age, men's blood pressure is consistently higher. After menopause, however, the incidence of high blood pressure is greater in women. The reason is unclear but researchers are looking at the role of estrogen. It is also the case that hypertension is related to obesity, which is more prevalent in older women than in men.
Alcohol and Hypertension
The largest studies on alcohol and hypertension have looked at total alcohol consumption, not wine in particular. A 2009 study in "Circulation," looking at over 26,000 women, reported compared to abstainers, women who drank moderately had significantly lower risk of CVD, total deaths and deaths from CVD. They concluded that moderate alcohol consumption was related to improved lipids, glucose/insulin metabolism, inflammation and blood pressure.
Researchers reporting in the American Heart Association, or AHA, journal, "Hypertension," examined alcohol consumption and hypertension in both men and women. They reported among women there were no differences for wine, beer, or liquor and the risk of hypertension.
Red Wine
The link between women, wine and hypertension, although interesting, is limited to animal models. In 2008 issue of "Circulation" Spanish researchers reported on whether the polyphenols (antioxidants) in red wine had a beneficial effect on CVD. Noting hypertension was a particular problem among menopausal women, the researchers took a line of rats genetically engineered to have hypertension and then removed their ovaries to simulate menopause. Then researchers gave one group of rats red wine compounds and compared them to rats given only water. At the study's end, the researchers reported rats consuming the red wine compounds had better cardiovascular health. This study has yet to be replicated in human subjects, although it has been used to promote the red wine for health in such trade publications as the Wine Spectator.
Considerations
Most research on alcohol and hypertension has measured total alcohol consumption, not consumption of wine in particular. The interest in red wine is likely related to its antioxidant content. Among other benefits, antioxidants appear to be associated with lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) and raising HDL (good cholesterol).
The AHA, however, is unpersuaded. It notes that the antioxidants found in red wine are also found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including grape juice. In fact, the AHA stated in April 2011 "...right now the American Heart Association does not recommend drinking wine or any other form of alcohol to gain these [red wine's] potential benefits."
References
- "Journal of Clinical Epidemiology and Metabolism;" Hypertension in Women; Phyllis August and Suzanne Oparil; 1999.
- "Circulation;" Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Death in Women: Potential Mediating Mechanisms; Luc Djoussé et al; 2009.
- "Hypertension;" Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Hypertension in Women and Men; Howard D. Sesso et al; 2008.
- "Hypertension;" Wine Polyphenols Improve Endothelial Function in Large Vessels of Female Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats; Rocio Lopez-Sepulveda et al; 2008.
- The Heart.org; American Heart Association Guidelines for Women's CVD Prevention Focuses on Lifetime Risk Factors; 2007.
- Wine Spectator; Compound Found in Red Wine Could Reduce Hypertension in Postmenopausal Women, Study Finds; Jacob Gaffney; 2008.
