Relationship between alcohol habits and hemorheology by a micro channel method in a general population

BACKGROUND: Hemorheology plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease. The Micro Channel array Flow Analyzer (MC-FAN) (Hitachi Haramachi Electronics Co., Ltd., Bentencho, Japan) is currently considered a useful new device to analyze hemorheology. However, the relationships between various lifestyle habits and hemorheology, especially using MC-FAN, have still not been thoroughly investigated. HYPOTHESIS: The study was undertaken to determine whether there could be some correlations of lifestyle factors to hemorheology by MC-FAN. METHODS: A total of 250 asymptomatic Japanese subjects (male:female = 100:150; mean age = 49.7 y) without any medication were enrolled in the present study. Hemorheology was assessed by the whole blood passage time (WBPT) and was corrected by the saline passage time using MC-FAN. Subjects' lifestyle factors, such as smoking habits, alcohol habits, and physical activity, were self-reported. RESULTS: Partial correlation analysis for WBPT, after controlling for age, gender, hematocrit, white blood cell count, body mass index, blood pressure, blood biochemical measures, and all lifestyle habits, revealed a significant and inverse correlation between alcohol habits of 1-3 go (amount of alcohol intake) and WBPT (r = - 0.191, p = 0.003), in addition to a significant positive correlation between serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and WBPT. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that alcohol habits may beneficially affect hemorheology by MC-FAN, expanding the protective effect of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption against cardiovascular disease.