Obesity and alcohol modulate the effect of apolipoprotein E polymorphism on lipids and insulin.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the interaction between apolipoprotein (apo) E polymorphism, alcohol consumption, and BMI on insulin, lipid, and lipoprotein levels in men.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study of 266 healthy men without hypolipidemic or antidiabetic drug treatment. BMI, apo E polymorphisms, insulin, and lipid and lipoprotein levels were assessed. Alcohol consumption was assessed by questionnaire. epsilon2/epsilon4 carriers were excluded from the analysis.


RESULTS
On bivariate analysis, epsilon2 carriers had lower levels of total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and higher levels of apo E and lipoparticle B:E than epsilon3 carriers, the opposite being found for epsilon4 carriers compared with epsilon3 carriers; epsilon4 carriers also had significantly higher insulin levels. On multivariate analysis, significant interactions (p < 0.04) between apo E alleles and increased BMI were found for total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and insulin levels, the increase in those parameters with BMI being stronger among epsilon4 carriers than among epsilon3 or epsilon2 carriers. Significant interactions (p < 0.02) between apo E alleles and alcohol consumption were also found for apo B levels, which increased in epsilon2 carriers but remained relatively stable in epsilon3 and tended to decrease in epsilon4 carriers.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that effects of apo E alleles on lipids and insulin levels are partly dependent on environmental variables such as BMI and alcohol intake. These findings highlight the importance of gene x environment interactions on the deleterious effect of obesity on cardiovascular risk factors.
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U558, Department of Epidemiology, 37 Allées Jules Guesde, Toulouse, France.
Pedro
P
Marques-Vidal
Vanina
V
Bongard
Jean-Bernard
JB
Ruidavets
Josette
J
Fauvel
Hélène
H
Hanaire-Broutin
Bertrand
B
Perret
Jean
J
Ferrières
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood*; D000483:Alleles; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides; D004247:DNA; D002784:Cholesterol