Evidence map›Paper›PMID 18318597›Full record

SynthesisPLoS medicine2008

Alcohol intake and blood pressure: a systematic review implementing a Mendelian randomization approach.

Lina Chen, George Davey Smith, Roger M Harbord, Sarah J Lewis

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PLoS medicine, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 166 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
166citing papers in PubMed, 15 pooled it
10.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

166 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 325 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Effect of alcohol on blood pressure.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020
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106 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Lina ChenDepartment of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
George Davey Smith
Roger M Harbord
Sarah J Lewis
University of Bristol · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council G0600705
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlcohol has been reported to be a common and modifiable risk factor for hypertension. However, observational studies are subject to confounding by other behavioural and sociodemographic factors, while clinical trials are difficult to implement and have limited follow-up time. Mendelian randomization can provide robust evidence on the nature of this association by use of a common polymorphism in aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) as a surrogate for measuring alcohol consumption. ALDH2 encodes a major enzyme involved in alcohol metabolism. Individuals homozygous for the null variant (*2*2) experience adverse symptoms when drinking alcohol and consequently drink considerably less alcohol than wild-type homozygotes (*1*1) or heterozygotes. We hypothesise that this polymorphism may influence the risk of hypertension by affecting alcohol drinking behaviour. METHODS AND

findingsWe carried out fixed effect meta-analyses of the ALDH2 genotype with blood pressure (five studies, n = 7,658) and hypertension (three studies, n = 4,219) using studies identified via systematic review. In males, we obtained an overall odds ratio of 2.42 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.66-3.55, p = 4.8 x 10(-6)) for hypertension comparing *1*1 with *2*2 homozygotes and an odds ratio of 1.72 (95% CI 1.17-2.52, p = 0.006) comparing heterozygotes (surrogate for moderate drinkers) with *2*2 homozygotes. Systolic blood pressure was 7.44 mmHg (95% CI 5.39-9.49, p = 1.1 x 10(-12)) greater among *1*1 than among *2*2 homozygotes, and 4.24 mmHg (95% CI 2.18-6.31, p = 0.00005) greater among heterozygotes than among *2*2 homozygotes.

conclusionsThese findings support the hypothesis that alcohol intake has a marked effect on blood pressure and the risk of hypertension.

Indexed as

Genetic Predisposition to DiseaseAlcohol DehydrogenaseAlcohol DrinkingBlood PressureHumansHypertensionMaleAlcohol Dehydrogenase

Identifiers

PMID18318597
PMCPMC2265305
OpenAlexW2097040757

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.