The Effects of Beverage Type on Hypertension Mortality Rate in Russia

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is reported to be the leading contributor to premature death globally. It was repeatedly emphasized that excessive alcohol intake (binge drinking) is an independent risk factor for HTN. Recent research evidence suggests that the consumption of different types of alcoholic beverage may have a differential effect on HTN disease rate. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relation between the consumption of different beverage types and HTN mortality rates in Russia. Method: Time-series analytical modeling techniques (ARIMA) were used to examine the relation between the sales of different beverages and age-standardized sex-specific male and female HTN mortality data for the period 1980-2005. Results: Vodka consumption as measured by sales was significantly associated with both male and female HTN mortality rates: a 1 litre increase in vodka sales would result in a 10.8% increase in the male HTN mortality rate and 9.1% increase in the female rate. The consumption of beer and wine were not associated with HTN mortality rates. Conclusions: The present study suggests that HTN mortality tends to be more responsive to changes in spirits consumption per capita than to the wine or beer consumption. The findings from this study also suggest that public health efforts should focus on both reducing overall consumption and changing beverage preference away from distilled spirits in order to reduce cardiovascular mortality rates in Russia.