Published Online
on October 28, 2004

A more recent version of this article appeared on December 1, 2004

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Submitted on March 25, 2004
Revised on August 31, 2004
Accepted on July 29, 2004

Alcohol Consumption and Carotid Artery Structure in Older French Adults. The Three-City Study

Mahmoud Zureik MD, PhD^*; Jérôme Gariépy MD; Dominique Courbon MS; Jean-François Dartigues MD; Karen Ritchie PhD; Christophe Tzourio MD, PhD; Annick Alpérovitch MD; Alain Simon MD; and Pierre Ducimetière PhD

From the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) (M.Z., D.C.), Unit 508, Lille; the Centre de Médecine Préventive Cardiovasculaire (J.G., A.S.), Hopital Broussais, Paris; Unit 258 INSERM (P.D.), Villejuif; Unit 593 INSERM (J.F.D.), Bordeaux; E 0361 INSERM (K.R.), Montpellier; and Unit 360 INSERM (C.T., A.A.), Paris, France.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mahmoud.zureik{at}pasteur-lille.fr.

Background and Purpose--Several epidemiological studies have suggested a U-shaped association between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular risk. However, the modifications of vascular structure associated with alcohol consumption are largely unknown.

Methods--The study population sample comprised 6216 subjects (3780 women and 2436 men) aged 65 years or older who were recruited from 3 French cities (Bordeaux, Dijon, and Montpellier, which are located in the 3 principal wine-growing regions). Usual alcohol consumption was assessed by a standardized questionnaire. Carotid ultrasound examination included measurements (at sites free of plaques) of intima-media thickness (IMT) at the common carotid arteries (CCA), CCA-lumen diameter, and assessment of atherosclerotic plaques in the extracranial carotid arteries.

Results--Neither CCA-IMT nor carotid plaques were associated with alcohol consumption categories in the overall population. Weak and marginal positive associations were observed between categories of alcohol consumption and carotid plaques in men (P=0.02 for linear trend). CCA-lumen diameter was positively and independently associated with alcohol consumption in overall population and in men and in women. Similar results were found between alcohol consumption and carotid measurements in subjects free of cardiovascular disease (90.1% of the population).

Conclusions--This very large population sample of French older adults shows no marked relationships of alcohol consumption with atherosclerosis. The positive association of alcohol intake with carotid arterial diameter may reflect the ability of alcohol to maintain adaptive enlargement to preserve lumen area.

Key words: alcohol • atherosclerosis • carotid arteries • epidemiology

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