Kinetics of HDL Cholesterol and Paraoxonase Activity in Moderate Alcohol Consumers

Abstract

Background The inverse association between moderate drinking and coronary heart disease mortality is well established. This study was performed to investigate the kinetics of the alcohol-induced increases in apo A-1, HDL cholesterol, and paraoxonase (PON) activity, as well as to study whether the alcohol-induced increases in PON activity differ within different PON polymorphisms, and to investigate whether moderate alcohol consumption has similar effects on the outcome measures in postmenopausal women as in middle-aged men. Methods In a randomized, diet-controlled, crossover study, 10 middle-aged men and 9 postmenopausal women, all apparently healthy, nonsmoking, and moderate alcohol drinkers, consumed beer or no-alcohol beer (control) with evening dinner during two successive periods of 3 weeks. During the beer period, alcohol intake equaled 40 and 30 g/day for men and women, respectively. The total diet was supplied to the subjects and had essentially the same composition during these 6 weeks. Before each treatment was a 1-week washout period, in which the subjects were not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages. Results Moderate alcohol consumption significantly increased serum apo A-I level after 5 days (3.7%, p < 0.05); after 10 days, serum HDL cholesterol level was increased (6.8%, p < 0.001), and after 15 days serum PON activity was increased (3.7%, p < 0.05), all compared with no alcohol consumption. Gene polymorphisms did not modulate the alcohol effect on PON. Conclusions Serum apo A-I, HDL cholesterol, and PON activity were significantly increased during 3 weeks of moderate alcohol consumption as compared with no alcohol consumption. Moreover, the results suggest that there is a sequence in induction of these parameters. After an increase in apo A-I, HDL cholesterol is increased followed by an increase in PON activity. Increased serum HDL cholesterol level and PON activity may be a mechanism of action not only in healthy middle-aged men but also in postmenopausal women, underlying the reduced coronary heart disease risk in moderate drinkers.