Alcohol Found to Enrich 'Good' Cholesterol: Report

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Alcohol Found to Enrich 'Good' Cholesterol: Report

Mon Aug 26, 1:51 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Study after study has shown that moderate

drinking can boost cardiovascular health, and alcohol is thought to protect

the heart in part by boosting levels of HDL, the " good " form of cholesterol.

Now a new study from France zeroes in on how alcohol affects HDL.

" This study provides, for the first time, a detailed characterization of HDL

composition in regular drinkers, " Dr. Bertrand Perret, of INSERM in

Toulouse-Cedex, France, and colleagues write in the August issue of the

journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

In a study that included moderate and heavy drinkers as well as teetotalers,

Perret's team found that the HDL of alcohol drinkers contained higher levels

of certain components that can protect against heart disease. The more

alcohol a person drank, the higher the levels of these substances were, they

report.

" Our study shows that the increase in HDL levels observed in regular

drinkers is associated with an enrichment of HDL particles in

polyunsaturated phospholipids, and particularly in those containing omega-3

fatty acids, an effect that might be, in itself, beneficial against

cardiovascular diseases, " Perret explained in a press release.

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in salmon, tuna and other fatty

fish, are known to protect against cardiovascular disease.

The study included 46 men aged 35 to 65 who were moderate drinkers (fewer

than 35 grams of alcohol per day), heavy drinkers (35 to 60 grams per day)

or abstainers. A glass of wine contains about 8 to 10 grams of alcohol.

Because the study was conducted in France, the men mostly drank red wine.

However, the study does not rule out that beer and other types of alcohol

may have similar effects on HDL composition.

After the men had fasted overnight, the researchers took blood samples to

measure levels of several substances, including HDL. The men also provided

detailed information about what they had had to eat and drink during the

previous three days.

Levels of triglycerides, overall cholesterol and a cholesterol-carrying

molecule called apolipoprotein B were similar among the three groups, the

investigators found. But alcohol drinkers had higher levels of HDL

cholesterol and another cholesterol-carrying molecule called apolipoprotein

A-1.

But drinkers did not just have more HDL than nondrinkers, according to the

report. Their HDL was of a different quality. In the men who drank alcohol,

HDL contained higher levels of several types of blood fats.

More research is needed to understand why the composition of HDL varies

between drinkers and nondrinkers, the researchers conclude.

SOURCE: Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 2002;26:1134-1140.