Genetic variation in aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 and the effect of alcohol consumption on cholesterol levels

Confirmation of ALDH2 as a Major Locus of Drinking Behavior and of Its Variants Regulating Multiple Metabolic Phenotypes in a Japanese Population

“…ALDH2 Variants and Drinking Behavior in Japanese benefit of moderate alcohol consumption on the risk of coronary artery disease (or myocardial infarction) has been attributed to an increase in HDL-C levels. 2,30, 31 In accordance with the previous study by Nakamura et al, 32 HDL-C concentrations were significantly lower in the AG heterozygotes than the wild-type form homozygotes (GG) among drinkers ( Table 3); this association was more prominent in heavier drinkers (β= -3.92 mg/dl, AG vs. GG in the upper tertile; Table S4) and in men (Table S5). Since female drinkers tend to have a moderate amount of alcohol consumption (Figure S1), the observed sexual dimorphism could be explained by a dosedependent interaction between ALDH2 rs671 and HDL-C concentrations.…”

“…In contrast to HDL-C levels, LDL-C levels were significantly decreased among drinkers as compared to non-drinkers in the general population panel, in accordance with the previous report in the Japanese. 32 That is, LDL-C levels were significantly higher in those with AG heterozygote than those with GG homozygote only among chance drinkers (β=4.01 mg/dl, P=0.012; Table S6), whereas this genotype -trait association was less prominent among drinkers (Tables 2, 3). There were no significant differences in triglyceride concentrations between the rs671 genotype classes.…”

Combined Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Outcome

“…Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Shiga University of Medical Science (No. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]2000).…”

Roles of defective ALDH2 polymorphism on liver protection and cancer development

“…For example, Nakamura et al [30] reported the mean number of drinks per day of 2.4 ± 1.7 in ALDH2*1/*1 subjects, 1.7 ± 2.0 in ALDH2*1/*2 subjects, and 0.1 ± 0.4 in ALDH2*2/*2 subjects. Furthermore, alcoholics who carry ALDH2*1/*2 were reported to consume a comparable amount of ethanol to alcoholics with ALDH2*1/*1 [31].…”