Interactions between alcohol intake and the polymorphism of rs708272 on serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the Guangxi Hei Yi Zhuang population.

Both alcohol consumption and the polymorphism of the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) TaqIB gene (rs708272) influence plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. However, their interactions on serum HDL-C levels is not well known. The present study was undertaken to detect the interactions between alcohol consumption and the rs708272 polymorphism on serum lipid levels in the Guangxi Hei Yi Zhuang population. Genotyping of the rs708272 in 342 nondrinkers and 416 drinkers aged 15-70 years was performed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Interactions between rs708272 genotype and alcohol consumption was assessed using a cross-product term between genotypes and the aforementioned factor. Statistical significance was evaluated with analysis of co-variance. The frequency of B1 allele was 65.8% in nondrinkers and 64.7% in drinkers (P>.05), respectively. The frequencies of B1B1, B1B2, and B2B2 genotypes were 45.0%, 41.5%, and 13.5% in nondrinkers, and 41.3%, 46.6%, and 12.0% in drinkers (P>.05), respectively. The levels of HDL-C and apolipoprotein (Apo) AI in nondrinkers were higher in B2B2 genotype than in B1B1 genotype (P<.05 for each), whereas triglyceride (TG) levels in drinkers were higher in B1B1 genotype than in B1B2 genotype (P<.05). The levels of TG, HDL-C, Apo AI in B1B1 genotype, and HDL-C and Apo AI in B1B2 genotype were higher in drinkers than in nondrinkers (P<.05-.01), whereas the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and Apo B in B2B2 genotype, and the levels of LDL-C in B1B1 genotype were lower in drinkers than in nondrinkers (P<.05-.01). The levels of HDL-C were positively correlated with female sex and genotype in nondrinkers (P<.001 for each), and were positively associated with age and alcohol consumption in drinkers (P<.005 and<.01, respectively). This study suggests that the B1 carriers benefited more from alcohol consumption than the B2 carriers in increasing serum HDL-C and Apo AI levels, and lowering LDL-C levels.