Interaction Effects of High-Density Lipoprotein Metabolism Gene Variation and Alcohol Consumption on Coronary Heart Disease Risk: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
Volume 68, 2007 > Issue 4: July 2007 pp 485-492,



Light to moderate alcohol consumption has been widely established to be protective against coronary heart disease (CHD), whereas heavy alcohol consumption has been shown to have a potential detrimental effect. The reduction in risk of CHD associated with light and moderate alcohol intake is generally attributed to the beneficial effects of alcohol on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels.

Previous research in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study showed all levels of alcohol consumption to be protective against CHD in whites but to be associated with an increased risk of CHD in black men.

We investigated the ARIC cohort to determine whether risk of incident CHD is influenced by an interaction effect between alcohol intake and genetic variation involved in the regulation of HDL cholesterol. Genes of interest included cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hepatic lipase (HL), and paraoxonase-1 (PON1).

Results from the current study suggest that interaction effects between alcohol consumption and HDL cholesterol metabolism gene variation influence the risk of incident CHD in black men. Additional studies are warranted to confirm these findings

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Reprint Request E-Mail: Kelly.A.Volcik@uth.tmc.edu
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