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.
Marques-Vidal
Pedro
P
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U558, Department of Epidemiology, 37 Allées Jules Guesde, Toulouse, France.
Bongard
Vanina
V
Ruidavets
Jean-Bernard
JB
Fauvel
Josette
J
Hanaire-Broutin
Hélène
H
Perret
Bertrand
B
Ferrières
Jean
J
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