Modification of the association between alcohol drinking and non-HDL cholesterol by gender

Background: Serum non-HDL cholesterol is a strong predictor of cardiovascular diseases. We studied the relationship between habitual alcohol drinking and non-HDL cholesterol. Methods: Healthy male subjects (n = 27,005) and female subjects (n = 16,805) were divided into 5 groups by average daily ethanol intake. Serum non-HDL cholesterol level and prevalence of serum high non-HDL cholesterol (≥ 170 mg/dl) were compared among the groups. Results: Non-HDL cholesterol level and prevalence of high non-HDL cholesterol became lower as alcohol intake increased. The threshold alcohol intake in the drinker groups showing significantly lower non-HDL cholesterol level and significantly lower prevalence of high non-HDL cholesterol, compared with those in non-drinkers, was lower in women (< 10 g/d) than in men (≥ 10 and < 20 g/d). Odds ratios of each drinker group vs. the non-drinker group for high non-HDL cholesterol became lower as alcohol intake increased. The odds ratio of each drinker group vs. the non-drinker group for high non-HDL cholesterol tended to be lower in women than in men. Conclusions: The results suggest that even light drinking is sufficient to significantly lower serum non-HDL cholesterol and that this effect of alcohol drinking on non-HDL cholesterol is more pronounced in women than in men.