Harmful and beneficial relationships between alcohol consumption and subclinical atherosclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
Arterial stiffness and increased intima-media wall thickness are two of the main predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We evaluated whether brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and common carotid artery intima-media wall thickness (CCA-IMT) are correlated with alcohol consumption in a cross-sectional study among Korean men and women aged 40 years and over.


RESULTS
All 5539 subjects (2121 men and 3418 women) were participants in the Multi-Rural Communities cohort (MRcohort) study, a part of the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study (KoGES). The baPWV was positively correlated with alcohol consumption in men (p for trend <0.0001). Age (middle-aged versus elderly) modified the effect of alcohol consumption on PWV. On the other hand CCA-IMT decreased with alcohol consumption in men. There was no favorable zone of alcohol consumption in terms of baPWV and CCA-IMT. Adjustment for lipid profiles substantially attenuated the relationship between alcohol consumption and CCA-IMT. There was no clear relation between alcohol consumption and baPWV/CCA-IMT in women.


CONCLUSIONS
Along with a linear harmful relationship between alcohol consumption and arterial stiffness in men there may also be a beneficial relationship between alcohol consumption and carotid intima-wall thickness. The effect of alcohol on arterial stiffness may be slightly stronger in elderly men, and the effect of alcohol on CCA-IMT may be mediated by lipid factors.
Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea. Electronic address: kmkkim@hanyang.ac.kr.
M K
MK
Kim
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.
J
J
Shin
Department of Preventive Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, South Korea; Jeonnam Regional Cancer Center, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, South Korea.
S-S
SS
Kweon
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Daegu, South Korea.
D H
DH
Shin
Department of Preventive Medicine & Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science, Wonkwang University College of Medicine, Iksan, South Korea.
Y-H
YH
Lee
Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, and Health Promotion Research Center, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea.
B-Y
BY
Chun
Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea.
B Y
BY
Choi
D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D044466:Asian People; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000187:drug effects*; D055105:Waist Circumference
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
Alcohol; Carotid intima-media thickness; Mediator; Pulse wave velocity; Subclinical atherosclerosis