Effects of alcohol consumption on lipoproteins of premenopausal women. A controlled diet study

A substantial portion of American women consume alcohol, but controlled studies of alcohol-induced changes in lipoproteins of women are rare. In this study, the effects of alcohol consumption (equivalent to two drinks per day) on the lipoprotein profiles of 34 premenopausal women were measured while controlling subjects' diet and various other potentially confounding variables including phase of the menstrual cycle. Alcohol and no-alcohol treatments were administered in a crossover design, and blood samples were obtained during the early follicular phase of the third month of treatment. With alcohol, HDL cholesterol levels increased 10%, LDL levels decreased 8%, and levels of lipoprotein(a) were unchanged. The increase in HDL cholesterol was due to an increase in both HDL2 and HDL3, and the overall size of HDL particles was increased. HDL particles containing apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and apoA-II as well as those containing apoA-I but no apoA-II were elevated in response to alcohol. Although these observations are limited to a single phase of the menstrual cycle, the alcohol-induced changes in lipoproteins are consistent with changes that are thought to confer protection against coronary heart disease.