Effects of alcohol intake on endothelial function in men: a randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Endocrinology
• Public Health

Background:

• Alcohol consumption exhibits a biphasic effect on cardiovascular disease risk, with light intake potentially reducing risk and heavy intake increasing it.
• This relationship may be linked to contrasting effects of alcohol on endothelial function at different intake levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if reducing alcohol intake in moderate-to-heavy drinkers improves conduit artery endothelial function.
• To assess changes in brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) following alcohol reduction.

Main Methods:

• A two-way cross-over study involving 16 healthy men who either reduced alcohol intake or maintained their usual consumption for 4-week periods.
• Measurements included FMD, blood pressure, lipids, homocysteine, and biomarkers of alcohol consumption and endothelial function.

Main Results:

• Participants significantly reduced alcohol intake from 72.4 to 7.9 g/day, confirmed by decreased gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase levels.
• Reductions in alcohol intake led to lower total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, homocysteine, and blood pressure.
• No significant improvement was observed in FMD or other endothelial function biomarkers.

Conclusions:

• Substantial reduction in alcohol intake does not enhance endothelial function in healthy moderate-to-heavy drinkers.
• Post-ischaemic flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery and specific biomarkers did not improve with reduced alcohol consumption.