Associations of alcohol consumption with blood pressure and serum lipids in Japanese female smokers and nonsmokers

Abstract

Background: Alcohol intake and smoking have been reported to influence atherosclerotic progression.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the associations of alcohol intake with blood pressure (BP) and serum lipid concentrations are modified by smoking in Japanese women.

Methods: Eligible subjects were healthy female Japanese workers aged 35 to <55 years who had received periodic health examinations at workplaces in Yamagata Prefecture in Japan. Subjects were classified as smokers or nonsmokers and subclassified into 3 subgroups based on average daily reported alcohol intake: nondrinkers, light drinkers (<15 g/d), and heavy drinkers (>-15 g/d). The means of each variable (systolic and diastolic BP [SBP and DBP, respectively] and serum concentrations of total cholesterol [TC], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], and triglycerides) were compared among the 2 groups of smoking history and 3 subgroups of alcohol intake after adjusting for age and body mass index.

Results: A total of 16,805 healthy women were enrolled (14,695 nonsmokers, 2110 smokers). In smokers, SBP was significantly higher in heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers, and DBP was significantly higher in light drinkers and heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers (all, P < 0.01). In nonsmokers, SBP was not significantly higher in light drinkers and heavy drinkers versus nondrinkers, and the difference in DBP between heavy drinkers and nondrinkers was significant (P < 0.01), but that between light drinkers and nondrinkers was not. In smokers but not in nonsmokers, serum TC concentration was significantly lower in heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers. In smokers and nonsmokers, LDL-C was significantly lower in light and heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers (all, P < 0.01), and serum HDL-C was significantly higher in light and heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers (all, P < 0.01). The differences in mean LDL-C between light and heavy drinkers versus nondrinkers were numerically greater in smokers than in nonsmokers.

Conclusion: In this sample of women in Japan, serum LDL-C concentration was significantly lower in drinkers than in nondrinkers, and smoking might increase this association between alcohol intake and lowered LDL-C.