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(Stroke. 2005;36:1746.)
© 2005 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Subclinical Carotid Atherosclerosis

The Study of Health in Pomerania

Ulf Schminke, MD; Jan Luedemann, PhD; Klaus Berger, MD; Dietrich Alte, PhD; Rolf Mitusch, MD; William G. Wood, PhD; Anke Jaschinski, MD; Sven Barnow, PhD; Ulrich John, PhD Christof Kessler, MD

From the Department of Neurology (U.S., A.J., CK), the Institutes of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (J.L.), Epidemiology and Social Medicine (D.A., U.J.), and Psychiatry (S.B.), Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany; the Department of Cardiology (R.M.), Hanse-Hospital, Stralsund, Germany; the Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine (K.B.), University of Muenster, Germany; and the Reference Method Laboratories (W.G.W.), Institute for Standardisation and Documentation in the Medical Laboratory (INSTAND), Duesseldorf, Germany.

Correspondence to Ulf Schminke, MD, Department of Neurology, Ernst Moritz Arndt University Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Strasse, D-17487 Greifswald, Germany. E-mail Ulf.Schminke{at}uni-greifswald.de

Background and Purpose— Epidemiologic studies have shown a J-shaped association between alcohol consumption and vascular diseases. However, only few studies have reported on the association between alcohol intake and subclinical atherosclerosis. The aim of the study was to investigate the relation between alcohol intake and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in participants of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania.

Methods— In 1230 men and 1190 women, the mean IMT of the right and left common carotid arteries was measured by B-mode ultrasonography. Alcohol consumption was assessed with a computer-assisted face-to-face interview.

Results— In men, carotid IMT as a function of alcohol intake was depicted as a J-shaped curve with a nadir for the alcohol intake category of 61 to 80g/d. Linear regression models controlled for age, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, leisure time physical activity, food frequency patterns, smoking status, and education revealed a significant inverse association between IMT and alcohol intake 80g/d in men (ß=–0.009, P<0.02), which became insignificant after further controlling for HDL cholesterol and fibrinogen (ß=–0.007, P=NS). In women, neither a J-shaped relation nor significant differences in IMT between the drinking and nondrinking groups were found.

Conclusions— Alcohol consumption is inversely correlated with carotid IMT in men but not in women. However, the total daily level of alcohol intake that shows a maximum protective effect against atherosclerosis is above the threshold where severe alcohol related comorbidity and organ damage have been reported.

Key Words: alcohol drinking • atherosclerosis • carotid arteries • epidemiology • intima-media thickness

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