Objective To use the rs1229984 variant in the alcohol dehydrogenase 1B gene (ADH1B) as an instrument to investigate the causal role of alcohol in cardiovascular disease.Design Mendelian randomisation meta-analysis of 56 epidemiological studies.Participants 261 991 individuals of European descent, including 20 259 coronary heart disease cases and 10 164 stroke events. Data were available on ADH1B rs1229984 variant, alcohol phenotypes, and cardiovascular biomarkers. Main outcome measuresOdds ratio for coronary heart disease and stroke associated with the ADH1B variant in all individuals and by categories of alcohol consumption.Results Carriers of the A-allele of ADH1B rs1229984 consumed 17.2% fewer units of alcohol per week (95% confidence interval 15.6% to 18.9%), had a lower prevalence of binge drinking (odds ratio 0.78 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.84)), and had higher abstention (odds ratio 1.27 (1.21 to 1.34)) than non-carriers. Rs1229984 A-allele carriers had lower systolic blood pressure (−0.88 (−1.19 to −0.56) mm Hg), interleukin-6 levels (−5.2% (−7.8 to −2.4%)), waist circumference (−0.3 (−0.6 to −0.1) cm), and body mass index (−0.17 (−0.24 to −0.10) kg/m 2 ). Rs1229984 A-allele carriers had lower odds of coronary heart disease (odds ratio 0.90 (0.84 to 0.96)). The protective association of the ADH1B rs1229984 A-allele variant remained the same across all categories of alcohol consumption (P=0.83 for heterogeneity). Although no association of rs1229984 was identified with the combined subtypes of stroke, carriers of the A-allele had lower odds of ischaemic stroke (odds ratio 0.83 (0.72 to 0.95)).Conclusions Individuals with a genetic variant associated with non-drinking and lower alcohol consumption had a more favourable cardiovascular profile and a reduced risk of coronary heart disease than those without the genetic variant. This suggests that reduction of alcohol consumption, even for light to moderate drinkers, is beneficial for cardiovascular health.

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OBJECTIVE -The aim of this study was to examine the relations of alcohol consumption to the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in the U.S. population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-We performed a cross-sectional analysis on data from 8,125 participants from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who were evaluated for each component of the metabolic syndrome, using the National Cholesterol Education Program criteria, fasting insulin, and alcohol consumption. Current alcohol consumption was defined as Ն1 alcoholic drink per month.RESULTS -After adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, tobacco use, physical activity, and diet, subjects who consumed 1-19 and Ն20 drinks of alcohol per month had odds ratios (ORs) for the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome of 0.65 and 0.34, respectively (P Ͻ 0.05 for all), compared with current nondrinkers. These findings were particularly noteworthy for beer and wine drinkers. The association of Ն20 alcoholic drinks per month with the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was consistent across ethnicities but was most striking in white men and women (ORs 0.35 and 0.22, respectively; P Ͻ 0.05). Alcohol consumption was significantly and inversely associated with the prevalence of the following three components of the metabolic syndrome: low serum HDL cholesterol, elevated serum triglycerides, high waist circumference, as well as hyperinsulinemia (P Ͻ 0.05 for all).CONCLUSIONS -Mild to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, with a favorable influence on lipids, waist circumference, and fasting insulin. This association was strongest among whites and among beer and wine drinkers. Diabetes Care 27:2954 -2959, 2004L ight to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower cardiovascular mortality (1) and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes (2). Some of the biological mechanisms reported to explain this observation include an improvement of the lipid profile, especially HDL cholesterol (3) and increasing insulin sensitivity (4,5).The metabolic syndrome is a clustering of low serum HDL cholesterol, elevated serum triglycerides, hyperglycemia, central obesity, and elevated blood pressure, mediated in part by insulin resistance (6,7). The metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes (8) and cardiovascular disease (9).The favorable influence of alcohol consumption on select components of the metabolic syndrome (3,10) raises the possibility that alcohol intake may reduce the risk of the metabolic syndrome. Few studies have examined the association between alcohol consumption and the metabolic syndrome as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program (11-13), and data are limited on how the relation may be modified by type of alcohol, sex, or race/ethnicity (14,15).We investigated the relations of the quantity and the type of alcohol consumed to the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (and its components) in men and women of dif...

Nutrient intake affects many of the identified risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). Although CHD risk factors have been shown to aggregate within families, less is known about the familial aggregation of nutrient intake. We analyzed diet records for an average of 9 d per subject on 87 mothers, 83 fathers, and 91 children aged 3-5 y. A statistically significant but modest correlation (r less than 0.50) was found between parents' and children's intakes for most nutrients. The intake of nutrients was more strongly related between mothers and children than between fathers and children, and there was a stronger association with children's values for parents consuming more meals at home. The results of this study confirm that parents' eating habits have an impact on the nutrient intake of their preschool children; the study furnishes indirect support for dietary-intervention programs targeting families for the primary prevention of CHD.

The glycosylated minor hemoglobin components Hb A1a+b and HbA1c are elevated in insulin-dependent juvenile diabetic patients, 3.2+/-0.7 (+/-1 SD) and 10.0+/-1.9% of total hemoglobin respectively, versus 2.1+/-0.4 and 4.9+/-0.7% in a normal non-diabetic control population. Total glycosylated hemoglobin components, Hb A1a+b+c, correlated with the degree of diabetic blood glucose regulation as measured by antecedent 24-h urinary glucose excretion determined in 220 diabetic patients immediately before, 1, 2, and 3 months prior to the HB A1a+b+c measurement. This assay for long-term blood glucose regulation was utilized to determine the effect of hyperglycemia on plasma cholesterol levels in 112 diabetic patients. Hb A1a+b+c levels correlated with plasma cholesterol levels, suggesting that long-term hyperglycemia is associated with hypercholesterolemia. It is suggested that glycosylated hemoglobin measurement is a good index of long-term blood glucose levels in diabetic patients.