Moderate alcohol consumption and changes in postprandial lipoproteins of premenopausal and postmenopausal women: A diet-controlled, randomized intervention study

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Earlier studies in men have shown that moderate alcohol cons umption affects lipoprotein metabolism and hemostasis. In this diet-control led, randomized, crossover trial, we investigated the effect on lipoprotein metabolism of moderate consumption of red wine or red grape juice with eve ning dinner for 3 weeks in premenopausal women using oral contraceptives an d in postmenopausal women. After 3 weeks, blood samples were collected 1 ho ur before dinner up to 19 hours after starting dinner at 2-hour or 4-hour i ntervals. Plasma triglyceride concentrations and very low density lipoprote in (VLDL) triglyceride levels peaked 3 hours after dinner with wine in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. After wine consumption, the overal l high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level was increased in postmen opausal women (mean increase 0.17 mmol/L, or 12%, p = 0.03), and the plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level was reduced in premenopaus al women (mean reduction 0.35 mmol/L, or 12%, p = 0.01) as compared with gr ape juice consumption. The findings suggest that postprandial lipoprotein m etabolism after moderate alcohol consumption differs between oral contracep tive-using premenopausal women and postmenopausal women. The response of po stmenopausal women to alcohol resembled the response found in earlier studi es in men.