Moderate alcohol consumption and postprandial plasma lipids in men with different risks for coronary heart disease

Background: Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced coron ary heart disease (CHD) risk. Epidemiologic studies have provided conflicti ng data which suggests that CHD protection may be modulated or may not be m odulated by a person's CHD risk profile. Methods: We examined the effects of moderate alcohol consumption (35 g/day) on postprandial lipoprotein metabolism in two groups of healthy middle-age d men who had different plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride concentratio ns, and body mass index (BMI), which are three major risk factors for CHD; 11 men had lower plasma lipids and BMI (L-men) and 11 men had higher plasma lipids and BMI (H-men). The effects of alcohol on postprandial lipoprotein metabolism were studied in a crossover design after an acute moderate alco hol intake both after a period of abstinence (alcohol-free beer) and after a period of moderate alcohol consumption (alcohol containing beer). Results: Moderate alcohol consumption changed plasma total cholesterol, tot al triglycerides, and HDL composition in the postprandial period. Alcohol-i nduced changes were essentially the same over time in both L-men and H-men. However, changes occurred at a different overall plasma concentration for total cholesterol and total triglycerides. Also, the postprandial response to an acute moderate alcohol dose after a period of abstinence seemed not t o essentially differ from the response to an acute moderate alcohol dose af ter a 4-week period of moderate alcohol consumption. Conclusions: These results suggest that men who differ in risk for CHD, bas ed on plasma lipids and BMI, but without previous or underlying disease, ha ve a similar postprandial lipid response to a moderate dose of alcohol.