Alcohol consumption and its relation to lipid-based cardiovascular risk factors among middle-aged women: the role of HDL3 cholesterol

To study the association of alcohol consumption and lipid-based cardiovascu lar risk factors among middle-age women, cross-sectional analysis among 274 middle-aged healthy women with different drinking habits and a follow-up a nalysis of alcoholic women during abstinence was performed. Serum total cho lesterol, low and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL and HDL cholest erol), triglycerides (TG), apolipoproteins A1 (Apo A1) and B (Apo B), and H DL-cholesterol subfractions 2 (HDL2) and 3 (HDL3) were measured. All lipid values except LDL cholesterol positively correlated with self-reported alco hol consumption. When alcoholics were excluded the correlation was signific ant only for HDL cholesterol, HDL3, and Apo A1. The increasing trend of HDL cholesterol, HDL3 and Apo A1 were clearly seen first in women consuming > 20-40 g/day of absolute alcohol, Alcohol consumption > 40 g/day increased a ll lipid values except LDL cholesterol. Abstinence for 2 weeks caused a sig nificant decrease in HDL3 cholesterol, and an increase in LDL cholesterol a nd Apo B. The results indicate that among middle-aged women the Apo A1 and HDL cholesterol via its HDL3 but not HDL2 subfraction might play a role in the beneficial coronary consequences associated with moderate alcohol consu mption. However, the increasing beneficial trend first appears when daily d rinking exceeds 20 g/day. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.