Relationships between alcohol intake and atherogenic indices in women.
BACKGROUND
Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is known to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships of alcohol intake with atherogenic indices, such as the ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C/HDL-C ratio) and the ratio of triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C ratio), in women.


METHODS
Subjects (14,067 women, 20-45 years) were divided by alcohol intake into three groups of nondrinkers, occasional drinkers, and regular drinkers, and each drinker group was further divided into lower- (<22 g ethanol/drinking day) and greater- (≥ 22 g ethanol/drinking day) quantity drinkers. Atherogenic indices were compared among the alcohol groups.


RESULTS
Odds ratio (OR) for high LDL-C/HDL-C ratio or high TG/HDL-C ratio calculated after adjustment for age, body mass index, smoking, and habitual exercise was significantly lower (P < .05) than a reference level of 1.00 in regular or occasional lower- and higher quantity drinkers vs. nondrinkers (OR for high LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, 0.28 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.18-0.44) in regular lower-quantity drinkers, 0.18 (95% CI, 0.12-0.28) in regular higher quantity drinkers, 0.71 (95% CI, 0.61-0.83) in occasional lower-quantity drinkers, and 0.53 (95% CI, 0.44-0.64) in occasional higher quantity drinkers; OR for high TG/HDL-C ratio, 0.52 (95% CI, 0.32-0.85) in regular lower-quantity drinkers, 0.67 (95% CI, 0.47-0.96) in regular higher-quantity drinkers, 0.61 (95% CI, 0.50-0.76) in occasional lower-quantity drinkers, and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.50-0.79) in occasional higher-quantity drinkers. Both LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and log-transformed TG/HDL-C ratio were significantly greater in smokers than in nonsmokers. Both in smokers and nonsmokers, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and log-transformed TG/HDL-C ratio were significantly lower in regular lower- and higher-quantity drinkers than in nondrinkers. In nonsmokers, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and log-transformed TG/HDL-C ratio tended to be lower and greater, respectively, in regular greater-quantity drinkers than in regular lower-quantity drinkers.


CONCLUSIONS
In women, alcohol drinking is inversely associated with atherogenic indices irrespective of smoking status, and the inverse association of alcohol drinking with LDL-C/HDL-C ratio is stronger than that with TG/HDL-C ratio.
Department of Environmental and Preventive Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Mukogawa-cho 1-1, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan. Electronic address: wakabaya@hyo-med.ac.jp.
Ichiro
I
Wakabayashi
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides
Alcohol; Atherosclerosis; Lipoprotein; Smoking; Triglycerides