Effects of moderate alcohol intake in fixed or variable amounts on concentration of serum lipids and liver enzymes in healthy young men

To assess the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on fasting serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) concentrations, groups of normolipidemic, nonsmoking, nonathletes who were moderate drinkers aged 21–35 y and within 10% of ideal body weight consumed 40 g ETOH/d as beer (fixed drinkers) or maintained usual drinking habits (variable drinkers) for 6 wk, then abstained from all alcohol for 3 wk. A similar group of nondrinkers served as the control group. HDL-C concentrations increased significantly during alcohol consumption and decreased during abstention to initial values in both the variable and fixed drinkers. No significant difference was found between the two drinking groups. LDL-C and TC concentrations in variable drinkers were modestly lower than those in nondrinkers but not in fixed drinkers. No significant differences were found in TG, GOT, and GGT concentrations between the groups or during alcohol consumption or abstention. This study demonstrates that consumption of alcohol in fixed or variable amounts is associated with an increase in HDL-C. This increase is not due to an induction of GGT and GOT as speculated.