title: The interleukin-6 promoter polymorphism is associated with elevated leukocyte, lymphocyte, and monocyte counts and reduced physical fitness in young healthy smokers.
abstract: Smoking and interleukin-6 are important factors in driving inflammation. This study assessed the relationship between smoking, interleukin-6 genotype, physical fitness, and peripheral blood count in healthy young men. For this interleukin-6 promoter polymorphism -174 genotype-phenotype association study 1,929 healthy German male aviators recruited at the central German Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine were stratified by smoking habits. Cardiovascular fitness was expressed as maximal physical working capacity (PWCmax) in watts per kilogram body weight as assessed by maximal exercise testing by cycle ergometry up to physical exhaustion. Smokers had higher leukocyte and lymphocyte counts than nonsmokers and lower PWCmax. In the overall study population the C allele of the interleukin-6 polymorphism was weakly associated with elevated leukocytes and lymphocytes; in nonsmokers the interleukin-6 polymorphism was not associated with altered phenotypes, but in smokers the interleukin-6 C allele was associated with higher leukocytes, lymphocytes, and monocytes and with lower PWCmax. Smoking is thus associated with elevated leukocytes and lymphocytes and with reduced physical fitness. Gene carriers with the interleukin-6 C allele may suffer particularly from cigarette smoking.
authors.affiliation: Medical Clinic I, University Hospital, University of Technology, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52057, Aachen, Germany. jrortlepp@ukaachen.de
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Ortlepp
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Metrikat
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vesper
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mevissen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maya-Pelzer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hanrath
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zerres
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008019:Life Style; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D009000:Monocytes; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6