title: Moderate alcohol consumption is more cardioprotective in men with the metabolic syndrome.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relation among alcohol consumption, the metabolic syndrome, and the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD). The study was conducted in a cohort of 1966 men from the Quebec Cardiovascular Study. All men were initially free of IHD and, during the follow-up period of 13 y, 219 first cases of IHD were diagnosed. Alcohol consumption was determined by calculating the g/d intake based on standard portions of beer, wine, and spirits. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to a modification of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III definition. Men who consumed >or=15.2 g of alcohol/d (4th quartile of the distribution) were younger (P < 0.001), had elevated plasma HDL-C concentrations (P < 0.001), and lower plasma concentrations of insulin (P = 0.01), CRP (P = 0.01), and fibrinogen (P < 0.001) than men in the 1st quartile (<1.3 g of alcohol/d). After adjustment for a series of coronary risk factors, alcohol consumption >or=15.2 g/d was associated with a 39% reduction in the 13-y risk of IHD [relative risk (RR) of IHD = 0.61, P = 0.02]. Finally, an alcohol consumption <15.2 g/d was associated with an increase of the risk of IHD in men with the metabolic syndrome (RR = 2.24, P < 0.001) but not in men without the metabolic syndrome (RR = 1.31, P = 0.22). These results confirm that moderate daily alcohol consumption has cardioprotective properties and suggest that the effects may be more important in subjects with a deteriorated risk profile, such as those with the metabolic syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Institute on Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods Quebec City, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gigleux
authors.forename: Josée
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gagnon
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: St-Pierre
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cantin
authors.forename: Gilles R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Dagenais
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Després
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lamarche
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011792:Quebec; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents