Harmful and beneficial relationships between alcohol consumption and subclinical atherosclerosis

M K Kim; J Shin; S-S Kweon; D H Shin; Y-H Lee; B-Y Chun; B Y Choi

doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2014.02.004

Harmful and beneficial relationships between alcohol consumption and subclinical atherosclerosis

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2014 Jul;24(7):767-76. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2014.02.004. Epub 2014 Feb 15.

Authors

M K Kim¹, J Shin², S-S Kweon³, D H Shin⁴, Y-H Lee⁵, B-Y Chun⁶, B Y Choi⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: kmkkim@hanyang.ac.kr.
² Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.
³ Department of Preventive Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, South Korea; Jeonnam Regional Cancer Center, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, South Korea.
⁴ Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Daegu, South Korea.
⁵ Department of Preventive Medicine & Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science, Wonkwang University College of Medicine, Iksan, South Korea.
⁶ Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, and Health Promotion Research Center, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.
⁷ Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.

PMID: 24694837
DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2014.02.004

Abstract

Background and aims: Arterial stiffness and increased intima-media wall thickness are two of the main predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We evaluated whether brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and common carotid artery intima-media wall thickness (CCA-IMT) are correlated with alcohol consumption in a cross-sectional study among Korean men and women aged 40 years and over.

Methods and results: All 5539 subjects (2121 men and 3418 women) were participants in the Multi-Rural Communities cohort (MRcohort) study, a part of the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study (KoGES). The baPWV was positively correlated with alcohol consumption in men (p for trend <0.0001). Age (middle-aged versus elderly) modified the effect of alcohol consumption on PWV. On the other hand CCA-IMT decreased with alcohol consumption in men. There was no favorable zone of alcohol consumption in terms of baPWV and CCA-IMT. Adjustment for lipid profiles substantially attenuated the relationship between alcohol consumption and CCA-IMT. There was no clear relation between alcohol consumption and baPWV/CCA-IMT in women.

Conclusions: Along with a linear harmful relationship between alcohol consumption and arterial stiffness in men there may also be a beneficial relationship between alcohol consumption and carotid intima-wall thickness. The effect of alcohol on arterial stiffness may be slightly stronger in elderly men, and the effect of alcohol on CCA-IMT may be mediated by lipid factors.

Keywords: Alcohol; Carotid intima-media thickness; Mediator; Pulse wave velocity; Subclinical atherosclerosis.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Alcohol Drinking*
Ankle Brachial Index
Asian People
Atherosclerosis / physiopathology*
Blood Flow Velocity
Blood Pressure
Body Mass Index
C-Reactive Protein / metabolism
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness*
Cholesterol, HDL / blood
Cholesterol, LDL / blood
Cohort Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Energy Intake
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Pulsatile Flow
Pulse Wave Analysis
Risk Factors
Triglycerides / blood
Vascular Stiffness / drug effects*
Waist Circumference

Substances

Cholesterol, HDL
Cholesterol, LDL
Triglycerides
C-Reactive Protein