Can red wine be part of the diet of hypertensive individuals?

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. A high blood pressure seems to be consistently related to unhealthy lifestyles and diet changes are recommended for the prevention and treatment of hypertension.

Previous studies showed that consumption of tea, coffee and red wine were associated with health benefits in the general population. In the current study, a total of 187 708 participants with hypertension from the UK Biobank cohort were followed up for 13.8 years and the total mortality risk with the consumption of coffee, tea and red wine was assessed. The results showed that tea and red wine were inversely associated with mortality and cardiovascular risk in individuals with high blood pressure. Drinking 8-14 glasses of red wine per week was significantly associated with a reduced all-cause mortality, however, more than 15 glasses/week was associated with few further decreased risks. Replacing plain water and other alcoholic beverages with a moderate intake of red wine and tea was significantly related to health benefits. The authors concluded that their findings provide further assurance that red wine and tea can be part of a healthy diet in individuals with hypertension.