Moderate alcohol consumption and fibrinolytic factors of pre- and postmenopausal women

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Earlier studies in men have shown that moderate alcohol consumption affects lipoprotein metabolism and haemostasis. In this diet-controlled, randomized, cross-over trial we investigated the effect of moderate consumption of red wine or red grape juice with evening dinner for 3 weeks on fibrinolytic factors in premenopausal women using oral contraceptives and in postmenopausal women. After 3 weeks blood samples were collected from both pre- and postmenopausals between 1 hour before dinner up to 15 hours after starting dinner, at 2 or 4 hour intervals. In premenopausal women using oral contraceptives moderate alcohol consumption had little effect on the fibrinolytic factors. In postmenopausals fibrinolytic activity decreased directly after alcohol consumption, as plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) activity increased to 23.1 IU/mL (or 339%, p = 0.0004) and plasma tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) activity decreased to 0.90 IU/mol (or 62%, p = 0.0009). As a result of this decreased fibrinolytic activity plasma plasmin antiplasmin (PAP) complex level was decreased to 148 μg/L (or 34%, p = 0.04). The following morning the fibrinolytic activity was increased, as plasma tPA activity increased to 0.44 IU/mol (or 69%, p = 0.04), Probably alcohol transcriptionally upregulated tPA gene expression, but effects on clearance cannot be ruled out. The response of fibrinolytic activity in postmenopausal women after moderate alcohol consumption appears similar to the response described earlier for middle-aged men.