Effect of alcohol consumption on endothelial function in men with coronary artery disease.
An inverse relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and coronary artery disease (CAD) has been observed in several epidemiologic studies. Whether improvement of endothelial function is involved in this beneficial effect is unknown. We investigated endothelial function of the brachial artery in 108 men with CAD, 54 of whom consumed alcohol on at least 1 day per week. Brachial artery diameter responses to hyperemic flow (FMD) and to administration of nitroglycerin (NTG) spray were measured using high- resolution ultrasonography. Coronary risk factors and hyperuricemia were present more frequently among drinkers, who also had higher concentrations of triglyceride and apolipoproteins C2, C3, and E. FMD was greater in drinkers (P<0.0001), while NTG-induced dilation was not. Multiple regression analysis showed alcohol consumption to be one of the factors favorably influencing FMD. These findings suggest that alcohol consumption may improve endothelial function in men with CAD.
First Department of Internal Medicine, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minamiku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan. hteraga@hiroshima.ac.jp
Hiroki
H
Teragawa
Yukihiro
Y
Fukuda
Keiji
K
Matsuda
Yukihito
Y
Higashi
Togo
T
Yamagata
Hideo
H
Matsuura
Kazuaki
K
Chayama
D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000494:pharmacology; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology*
D005996:Nitroglycerin