We hypothesized that while moderate drinking is associated with increa
sing levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, excessive drinki
ng of ethanol might, in fact, be associated with lower HDL levels and
by implication increased cardiovascular risk. We therefore performed a
nalyses of whole blood-associated acetaldehyde (WBAA) as a measure of
drinking behavior and HDL on blood samples from 2780 individuals apply
ing for life insurance. Whole blood-associated acetaldehyde correlated
positively with HDL in the entire sample set throughout the range of
values (R = 0.101,p = 0.0001). The relationship held for female (N = 4
77,p = 0.036) but was stronger for males (N = 2277,p = 0.0001). We con
clude that ethanol consumption correlates positively with HDL for both
males and females and that the relationship persists through higher r
anges of ethanol consumption.