Moderate Alcohol Consumption Is Associated With Reduced Arterial Stiffness in Older Adults: The Rotterdam Study

Background. Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. The protective effect of alcohol could involve arterial properties as arterial stiffness and distensibility. Methods. The relationship between alcohol and arterial stiffness was studied within the framework of the Rotterdam Study, a population-based study in individuals aged 55 and older. The present study included 3178 participants in the third examination phase. Arterial stiffness was measured by two different methods, i.e., the carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity and the DC of the common carotid artery. Categories of alcohol consumption were defined as follows: ≤3 glasses of alcohol per week, 4–10 glasses per week, 11–20 glasses per week, and ≥21 glasses per week. Linear regression analysis was used to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and measures of arterial stiffness. Results. In multivariate-adjusted models, women drinking 4–10, 11–20, and ≥21 glasses of alcoholic beverage per week had a −0.07 (0.22 to −0.38), −0.18 (0.12 to −0.49), and 0.12 (0.19 to −0.43) m/s difference in mean pulse wave velocity compared to those drinking 0–3 glasses per week (reference group). Corresponding differences in the carotid DC were 0.68 (1.21 to 0.15), 0.28 (0.82 to −0.25), and 0.36 (0.91 to −0.18) 10−3/kPa. In men, the estimates were not statistically significant, although a similar trend was observed. Conclusions. Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower arterial stiffness in women independently of cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis.