Dose–Response Relationships Between Drinking and Serum Tests in Japanese Men Aged 40–59 Years

Abstract

NAGAYA T., H. YOSHIDA, H. TAKAHASHI, Y. MATSUDA AND M. KAWAI. Dose–response relationships between drinking and serum tests in Japanese men aged 40–59 years. ALCOHOL 17(2) 133–138, 1999.—Alcohol intake per Japanese adult has been increasing year by year. To show biological effects of drinking, the dose–response relationships between alcohol use and serum indices were analyzed in 5919 Japanese men aged 40–59 years. The subjects were classified into nine groups: a nondrinking (ND, n = 1827) group and eight drinking (1D–8D) groups, by self-reported drinking habit. The 1D (the lightest drinking, n = 699), 5D ( n = 942), and 8D (the heaviest drinking, n = 46) groups consumed alcohol less than 30 g per week, 25–30 g alcohol per day, and 100 g alcohol per day or more, respectively. Ten serum indices, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, total/HDL cholesterol ratio, LDL cholesterol, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, glucose, and uric acid, were used. The dose–response analysis was statistically controlled for age, body mass index, smoking, and habitual exercise, and showed that drinking, even a small amount of alcohol, always had both beneficial and adverse effects on humans. However, alcohol less than 30 g per day may be tolerable for middle-aged Japanese men, because it improved serum lipids profile but did not induce apparent liver cell damage, hyperglycemia, or hyperuricemia.