Aims: Prior research has established a correlation between increases of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and alcohol consumption. This study aimed to explore the association between phosphatidylethanol (PEth) levels and the amount of consumed ethanol, utilizing HDL-C as a surrogate marker on a population level. This endeavor offers an adjunct to other studies.
Methods: PEth and HDL-C levels in 50 751 samples from 29 899 patients in Norway were measured simultaneously in whole blood and serum, respectively. Linear mixed model analyses were employed to assess HDL-C levels within different PEth intervals. Drawing on previous research indicating an increase of .0035 mmol/L in HDL-C per gram of pure ethanol consumed per day, and assuming no alcohol intake in the zero PEth group, we estimated mean daily ethanol intake at the group level for males in each PEth interval.
Results: Results revealed a significant correlation between PEth and HDL-C levels (Spearman's rho = .385 for women, .420 for men, P < .001). Estimated mean HDL-C levels indicated higher alcohol consumption with increasing PEth. Specifically, men with PEth values in the .031-0.100 μmol/L (22-70 ng/ml) interval were estimated to consume approximately mean 20 grams of ethanol daily, while those in the .301-0.500 μmol/L (212-351 ng/ml) PEth interval had an estimated mean daily ethanol intake of 51 grams.
Conclusions: The results from this study suggest an approximate estimation of mean daily amounts of consumed ethanol at group levels in different PEth intervals, based on previously shown correlation of ethanol consumption and HDL-C increase.
Keywords: HDL-C; alcohol biomarker; alcohol consumption; phosphatidylethanol.
© The Author(s) 2024. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press.