Beer May Boost 'Good' Cholesterol in Older Women
Mon Sep 16, 5:45 PM ET
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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Moderate beer consumption appears to raise levels of "good" cholesterol in healthy older women and may decrease their risk of heart disease, according to the results of a small study.
HDL (or "good") cholesterol levels rose by an average of nearly 12% by the end of the 3-week study, in which men consumed four glasses of beer with dinner and women consumed three glasses. Previous research has shown that increasing HDL by just 2% can lower the risk of heart disease.
The protein component of HDL that is associated with its heart-healthy effects, as well as activity levels of an enzyme that provides a measure of protection against coronary artery disease, also increased during the drinking phase of the study, the researchers report in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
The findings support those of several studies showing a relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and decreased risk of heart disease in men. To investigate the relationship in older women, the researchers enrolled nine women aged 49 to 62 and 10 men aged 45 to 64.
The investigators measured levels of HDL and apolipoprotein A-1, the protein portion of HDL that carries cholesterol in the blood. Activity levels of paraoxonase (PON) were also recorded during the drinking and non-drinking phases of the study. The volunteers' overall diet did not change at any time.
In addition to higher levels of HDL cholesterol, levels of apolipoprotein A-1 rose by nearly 9% by the end of the drinking phase. PON activity also increased by about 4% after 2 weeks, compared with levels during the non-drinking phase of the study.
"Increased serum HDL cholesterol level and PON activity may be a mechanism of action not only in healthy middle-aged men, but also in postmenopausal women, underlying the reduced coronary heart disease risk in moderate drinkers," according to Dr. Henk F.J. Hendriks from TNO Nutrition and Food Research in the Netherlands and colleagues.
However, larger studies will need to confirm the findings, the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 2002;26:1430-1435. |
