The association between alcohol consumption and inflammatory biomarkers in a large, diverse, community-based sample.

BACKGROUND

Alcohol intake is linked to systemic inflammation with some studies suggesting a U-shaped relationship. However, little is known about associations between alcohol consumption and novel biomarkers like glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA) and galectin-3 (Gal-3), which may offer earlier, more stable, and more sensitive detection of inflammation.

OBJECTIVES

To examine relationships between alcohol use and levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), GlycA, and Gal-3 in a large, diverse, community-based sample.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from a community-based cohort (N = 2159) were analyzed. Alcohol use was treated both as continuous (drinks per week, DPW) and as a five-level ordinal variable (alcohol use group: never, past, light, moderate, and heavy drinkers). Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) compared mean inflammation levels (GlycA, Gal-3, and hs-CRP) across alcohol use groups, adjusting for covariates related to alcohol and inflammation. Linear regressions examined associations between DPW and inflammation.

RESULTS

ANCOVAs revealed a significant association between alcohol use groups and Gal-3 levels (P = .031). Post-hoc pairwise comparisons showed that past drinkers had higher Gal-3 levels than light (P = .004), moderate (P = .012), and never drinkers (P = .044). Regressions showed no significant relationships between DPW and any inflammation biomarkers.

DISCUSSION: Gal-3, but not GlycA or hs-CRP, was elevated in past drinkers compared to light, moderate, and never drinkers. These findings may reflect inflammation related to unmeasured illness among past drinkers that prompted alcohol cessation, rather than a direct alcohol effect. Future studies with longitudinal designs and objective alcohol measures are warranted to clarify causality and reduce potential self-report bias.