Moderate Alcohol Consumption, Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes: Influence of Alcohol Oxidation

Objectives :

To investigate the effect of moderate alcohol consumption and influence of genetic variation of ethanol oxidation on:

• PPAR-γ activated gene expression
• Markers of coronary heart disease or type 2 diabetes
• Postprandial changes of HPA-axis activity among 36 postmenopausal women with ADH1C genotype associated with slow or fast alcohol metabolism.

Design : Randomized, controlled, not blinded crossover trial with 1 week wash-out preceding each treatment period

Participants

• Description : Apparently healthy postmenopausal women
• Number : 36

Study substances

• Test substance : White wine (ca. 25 g alcohol/day)
• Reference substance : White grape juice

Study treatments Treatment A: 250 ml white wine daily (ca. 25 g alcohol/day) Treatment B: 250 ml white grape juice daily

Study period

• Duration : two periods of 6 weeks preceded by 1 week wash-out period

Test parameters:

• Adiponectin mRNA expression
• Expression of PPAR-gamma activated genes: CD36, lipoprotein lipase, AP2
• Markers of cardiovascular disease (blood lipid profile, Lp-PLA2 activity, hs-CRP, fibrinogen)
• Markers of type 2 diabetes (adiponectin, adiponectin oligomers, insulin sensitivity)
• Parameters of alcohol oxidation (postprandial: blood alcohol and acetate, acetaldehyde)
• HPA-axis activity (postprandial & fasting: cortisol, ACTH, testosterone)

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy women aged 40 to 65 years
• Absence of menstrual period for at least 2 years
• Homozygotes for the ADH1C*1 or ADH1C*2 allele of ADH1C I349V polymorphism
• Alcohol consumption ≥ 5 and ≤ 21 units/week

Exclusion criteria

• Smoking
• Family history of alcoholism
• History of medical or surgical events that may significantly affect the study outcome, particularly metabolic or endocrine disorders and gastrointestinal disorders
• Recent blood donation