A controlled trial of the effects of pattern of alcohol intake on serum lipid levels in regular drinkers

Abstract

To determine whether the effects of drinking pattern (predominantly weekend versus daily drinking) have differential effects on serum lipids, 55 healthy male drinkers were recruited on the basis of a regular alcohol intake, 210-500 ml absolute alcohol/week (approximately 3-6 standard drinks/day), with more than 60% consumed as beer. Fourteen subjects were categorised as predominantly weekend drinkers, while 41 subjects regularly drank on a daily basis. After maintenance of their drinking pattern during a 4-week familiarisation, subjects were randomised to either consume low alcohol beer (0.9%, v/v) only, or to maintain their usual drinking habit consuming full-strength beer (5%, v/v) for the next 4 weeks. They then switched to full-strength or low alcohol beer, respectively, for a further 4 weeks. Their drinking pattern remained constant during the study. In both weekend and daily drinkers, a reduction in alcohol intake (i.e. from 387 ml/week to 88 ml/week for weekend drinkers and from 418 ml/week to 95 ml/week for daily drinkers, respectively, P < 0.001) resulted in a similar 0.12 mmol/l fall in HDL-C (P < 0.01) with a concomitant significant fall in both apolipoproteins A-I and A-II. In daily drinkers total cholesterol fell by 0.28 mmol/l (P < 0.001) and triglyceride by 0.22 mmol/l (P < 0.01) with a reduction in alcohol intake, but no change in LDL-C was seen. In contrast, weekend drinkers total cholesterol was unchanged while triglyceride decreased by 0.26 mmol/l (P < 0.05) and LDL-C increased by 0.25 mmol/l (P < 0.01). Lp(a) increased with a reduction in alcohol intake in both daily (9.1 U/l, P < 0.05) and weekend drinkers (27.6 U/l, P = 0.07). Previous reports of a more atherogenic lipid profile with episodic versus regular daily drinking were not confirmed in this study and potentially favourable effects of alcohol to increase HDL-C and decrease Lp(a) were shown to be independent of drinking pattern in these moderate to heavy drinkers.