Associations among liver disease, serum lipid profile, body mass index, ketonuria, meal skipping, and the alcohol dehydrogenase-1B and aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genotypes in Japanese men with alcohol dependence.

AIM: To elucidate associations among liver disease, lipid profile, body mass index (BMI), ketonuria, and meal skipping under the influence of alcohol dehydrogenase-1B (ADH1B; rs1229984) and aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2; rs671) genotypes in men with alcohol dependence. METHODS: We investigated the associations among these variables in 1768 Japanese men with alcohol dependence. Serum lipid levels were followed up after abstinence. RESULTS: The slow-metabolizing ADH1B Arg/Arg genotype and inactive ALDH2 Glu/Lys genotype increased the age- and drinking-adjusted odds ratio or regression coefficient for fatty liver, ketonuria, and serum high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels (HDL-C), and decreased these for cirrhosis and serum triglyceride levels (TG). The ADH1B Arg/Arg genotype increased the adjusted regression coefficient for BMI and non-HDL-C. In addition to the positive interlinkage among fatty liver, BMI, and atherogenic dyslipidemia, positive associations were observed of fatty liver with ketonuria and meal skipping, of cirrhosis with the BMI, and of ketonuria with non-HDL-C. Negative associations were observed of cirrhosis with fatty liver, TG, non-HDL-C, and HDL-C, and of ketonuria with BMI and TG. Overall, after admission for 4 or 6 weeks, the TG and HDL-C decreased, and the serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels increased. However, there was no change of the serum low-density lipoprotein in the patients with cirrhosis or of the serum TG in those with fatty liver. CONCLUSIONS: These associations and the alterations in lipid profile after abstinence serve as useful information for a better understanding of the clinical features of men with alcohol dependence.