Effects Of At-Risk Drinking On Resting Heart Rate And Blood Pressure Variability In Mid-Life Adults

At-risk drinking pattern and aging are associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) and increased blood pressure (BP) variability are indicators of CVD. However, how at-risk drinking influences resting HRV and BP variability in aged individuals remains unclear. PURPOSE: To compare HRV and BP variability at rest in mid-life adults (50-64 yr) who are at-risk drinkers versus low-risk drinkers. METHODS: A total of 9 at-risk drinkers (3 women; mean ± SD for age: 58 ± 5 yr and body mass index: 25.5 ± 2.8 kg/m2) and 12 low-risk drinkers (8 women; age: 55 ± 4 yr and body mass index: 28 ± 3.9 kg/m2) were included in this study. At-risk drinkers were defined as those having a total score of the US Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (USAUDIT) higher than 7 for men (6 for women). This equivalent to the alcohol consumption of >4 drinks/day or > 14 drinks/week for men (>3 drinks/day or > 7 drinks/week for women). After a 10-min rest in a supine position, heart rate and beat-to-beat BP were recorded continuously for 5 min to assess HRV and BP variability. Physical activity was measured by wearing an accelerometer for 4 days (1 weekend and 3 weekdays). RESULTS: No differences between groups were found in HRV measured as root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats (at-risk vs. low-risk: 35.1 ± 22.8 vs. 39.3 ± 22.9, P = 0.7) and low-frequency to high-frequency power ratio (P = 0.3). In addition, no differences between groups were found in systolic and diastolic BP variability measured as standard deviation (7 ± 3 vs. 8 ± 4 mmHg, P = 0.3 and 5 ± 2 vs. 7 ± 3 mmHg, P = 0.4), coefficient of variation (5.2 ± 1.8% vs. 6.8 ± 2.5%, P = 0.1 and 5.5 ± 2.3% vs. 6.6 ± 2.5%, P = 0.3), and average real variability (P = 0.3 and 0.3). Total USAUDIT score was unrelated to the measures of HRV (P ≥ 0.2) and BP variability (P ≥ 0.1). No differences between groups were found in physical activity measured by counts per minute (P = 0.07) and daily steps (P = 0.6). CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings indicate that using self-reported questionnaire to classify drinking pattern in mid-life adults, at-risk drinkers had similar resting HRV and beat-to-beat BP variability compared with low-risk drinkers. NIAAA AA028537 to CLH