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

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. In this prospective cohort study, we tested the hypothesis that regular wine drinking reduces the hypertension-related risk of death. 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. In a Cox model adjusted for 6 confounding variables, moderate wine drinkers (those who consumed or =60 g alcohol/d or who consumed beer and wine). A moderate intake of wine is associated with a lower risk of mortality from all causes in persons with hypertension.