Interactions among calcium, sodium, and alcohol intake as determinants of blood pressure.

It has been reported that calcium intake may effectively modulate the expression of hypertension affected by sodium. The present study extends our previous analysis of this calcium-sodium interaction, additionally demonstrating that calcium, sodium, and alcohol intake further contribute to both systolic and diastolic blood pressures in normotensive subjects. Calcium intake was related to lower blood pressure over all ranges of sodium and alcohol intake, and alcohol intake contributed positively and significantly to both systolic and diastolic blood pressures. However, sodium was associated with increased blood pressure only at low calcium intake, particularly in subjects who consumed large amounts of alcohol. This study points to a significant interaction among sodium, calcium, and alcohol intake as determinants of blood pressure, which, together with gender and weight, contribute to 31% of systolic blood pressure and with the addition of age to 36% of the variance in diastolic blood pressure.