Alcohol consumption is negatively associated with the prevalence of coronary heart disease in the New Mexico Elder Health Survey

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and the effects of various risk factors, including alcohol consumption, on prevalence rates in a randomly selected sample of older Hispanic and non-Hispanic white (NHW) men and women. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional study of equal numbers of Hispanic and NHW men and women, selected randomly from Health Care Financing Authority (Medicare) rolls, recruited for a home interview followed by a 4-hour interview/examination in a senior health clinic. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 883 volunteers, mean age 74.1, years were interviewed/examined. MEASUREMENTS: CHD was identified by interview and electrocardiogram. Risk factors were identified by interview (hypertension, diabetes, medications, smoking, alcohol consumption) and by direct measurements (glucose tolerance, serum lipids, blood pressure, anthropometry). RESULTS: The age-adjusted prevalences of CHD were not significantly different when Hispanic men and women were compared with their NHW counterparts. Age-, ethnicity-, and gender-adjusted relative risk of CHD was inversely associated with alcohol consumption (OR. 46; 95% CI,. 28-.73; P