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Associations of alcohol consumption and alcohol flush reaction with leukocyte telomere length in Korean adults

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Telomere length is a useful biomarker for determining general aging status. Some studies have reported an association between alcohol consumption and telomere length in a general population; however, it is unclear whether the alcohol flush reaction, which is an alcohol-related...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Wang, Hyewon, Kim, Hyungjo, Baik, Inkyung
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Korean Nutrition Society and the Korean Society of Community Nutrition 2017
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537543/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28765780
http://dx.doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2017.11.4.334
Descripción
Sumario:BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Telomere length is a useful biomarker for determining general aging status. Some studies have reported an association between alcohol consumption and telomere length in a general population; however, it is unclear whether the alcohol flush reaction, which is an alcohol-related trait predominantly due to acetaldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, is associated with telomere length. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the associations of alcohol consumption and alcohol flush reaction with leukocyte telomere length (LTL). SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study included 1,803 Korean adults. Participants provided blood specimens for LTL measurement assay and reported their alcohol drinking status and the presence of an alcohol flush reaction via a questionnaire-based interview. Relative LTL was determined by using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis used multiple linear regression models stratified by sex and age groups, and potential confounding factors were considered. RESULTS: Age-specific analyses showed that heavy alcohol consumption (> 30 g/day) was strongly associated with a reduced LTL in participants aged ≥ 65 years (P < 0.001) but not in younger participants. Similarly, the alcohol flush reaction was associated with a reduced LTL only in older participants who consumed > 15 g/day of alcohol (P < 0.01). No significant alcohol consumption or alcohol flush reaction associations with LTL were observed in the sex-specific analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that older alcohol drinkers, particularly those with the alcohol flush reaction, may have an accelerated aging process.