Reducing cardiovascular risks: the role of alcohol use - despite decades of research on alcohol use and cardiovascular disease (CVD), several gaps remain, including: (1) inconsistent recommendations…

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism awarded the University of Texas at Arlington $596,443 on September 1, 2026, under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) to conduct a randomized controlled trial examining the effect of alcohol abstinence on cardiovascular disease risk factors.

The research will enroll men and women who drink above recommended limits but are free of alcohol use disorder and cardiovascular disease. The study employs a novel alcohol abstinence intervention facilitated through a "know-your-number" approach and monitored via self-report questionnaires, alcohol biomarkers, and smartwatch-based technology. The trial measures blood pressure (in-laboratory and ambulatory central and peripheral) before and after the abstinence or control intervention; subclinical cardiovascular risk factors including arterial stiffness, endothelial function, and sympathetic nerve activity; and objective sleep patterns throughout study participation using wearable ring technology to investigate how alcohol reduction or abstinence influences sleep and the combined effects on blood pressure and subclinical cardiovascular risk factors.

The project runs through August 31, 2031, with performance at the University of Texas at Arlington's Arlington, Texas campus. This is a Project Grant, the standard assistance type for research support under NIAAA's program, which funds research development spanning biomedical, genetic, psychological, environmental, and prevention domains related to alcohol and alcoholism.

Reducing cardiovascular risks: the role of alcohol use - despite decades of research on alcohol use and cardiovascular disease (CVD), several gaps remain, including: (1) inconsistent recommendations and mixed messages about alcohol use and CVD for primary prevention, (2) uncertainty about whether alcohol's effects on CVD risks are reversible, and (3) a lack of high-level evidence from randomized controlled trials. In fact, alcohol use is often overlooked in CVD prevention and people living in the united states are more likely to believe alcohol to be heart healthy. Such perception of alcohol use is associated with a substantial increase in alcohol use, leading to at-risk drinking behaviors and eventually alcohol use disorder and CVD. In this R01 application, we propose to employ the gold-standard randomized, controlled trial to examine the effect of alcohol abstinence on several clinically important and measurable CVD risk factors in men and women who drink over the recommended limits yet are free of alcohol use disorder and CVD. We have developed a novel alcohol abstinence intervention that will be facilitated by using the "know-your-number" approach as established by our group and monitored by using both subjective and objective measurements (self- report questionnaires, alcohol biomarkers, and smartwatch-based technology). Before and after the abstinence or control intervention, we will conduct a comprehensive assessment of blood pressure (including in-laboratory and ambulatory central and peripheral; aim 1) and subclinical CVD risk factors (including measures of arterial stiffness, endothelial function, and sympathetic nerve activity; aim 2). We will also conduct a longitudinal assessment of objective sleep (oura ring) throughout the study participation (aim 3) to investigate how changes in alcohol use (i.e., reduction or abstinence) influence sleep and to evaluate the combined effects of alcohol abstinence and sleep on blood pressure and subclinical CVD risk factors. All these above-mentioned measures are scientifically valid and clinically important factors to determine CVD risks. Therefore, investigating the effect of alcohol abstinence on all these above-mentioned measures in one cohort will help dissect the complex relationship between alcohol use and CVD, and their interaction with sleep. More importantly, a successful completion of this study will provide findings that inform evidence-based guidelines and clinical recommendations, especially for men and women who are at risk of CVD, such as those with elevated blood pressure and hypertension, in which alcohol use is a critical behavioral modification. Accordingly, this application is responsive to NIH priorities and national institute of alcohol abuse and alcoholism's missions.