Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and gamma-glutamyltransferase are inversely associated with lipid markers of cardiovascular risk

Background A variety of epidemiological studies have suggested a U-shaped association between alcohol consumption and atherosclerosis progression and incidence events. Moderate intake of alcohol is considered beneficial, whereas heavy drinking increases cardiovascular disease risk. Methods Alcohol and cardiovascular risk-related laboratory tests were carried out in 70 consecutive male employees in connection with an occupational health survey in 1996. Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) were used as markers for alcohol consumption. The subjects were divided into quartiles on the basis of CDT or GGT value. Results The highest CDT quartile had significantly higher serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (P<0.05) than the lowest quartile. The highest GGT quartile had significantly higher serum total cholesterol (P < 0.01), lower serum HDL-cholesterol (P<0.05), higher serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol (P<0.01) and higher serum triglyceride (P<0.01) than the lowest quartile. Conclusions An explanation for the findings is that high alcohol consumption without significant liver induction increases the level of HDL-cholesterol, whereas high alcohol consumption with induction of liver may have adverse effects on lipoprotein metabolism. The results were interpreted to indicate that CDT and GGT detect different populations of drinkers in regard to cardiovascular lipid risk factors.