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Alcohol consumption, TaqIB polymorphism of cholesteryl ester transfer protein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and risk of coronary heart disease in men and women.

Jensen MK, Mukamal KJ, Overvad K, Rimm EB

Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.

Aims To investigate whether a common polymorphism in the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene modifies the relationship of alcohol intake with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods and results Parallel nested case-control studies among women [Nurses' Health Study (NHS)] and men [Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS)] where 246 women and 259 men who developed incident CHD were matched to controls (1:2) on age and smoking. The TaqIB variant and alcohol consumption were associated with higher HDL-C, with the most pronounced effects of alcohol among B2 carriers. In the NHS we did not find an inverse association between alcohol and CHD in B2 non-carriers (P trend: 0.5), but did among B2 carriers (P trend <0.01). Among non-carriers the odds ratio (OR) for CHD among women with an intake of 5-14 g/day was 1.4 (95% CI: 0.6-3.7) compared with non-drinkers, whereas among B2 carriers the OR was 0.4 (0.2-0.8). Results in men were less suggestive of an interaction; corresponding OR's were 1.9 (0.8-4.5) and 0.9 (0.5-1.6), for B2 non-carriers and carriers, respectively. Conclusions The association of alcohol with HDL-C levels was modified by CETP TaqIB2 carrier status, and there was also a suggestion of a gene-environment interaction on the risk of CHD.

Published 2 January 2008 in Eur Heart J, 29(1): 104-12.
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