Effects of moderate alcohol consumption on platelet aggregation, fibrinolysis, and blood lipids

To investigate the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on blood constituents related to cardiovascular disease, 12 male volunteers consumed (instead of their usual alcoholic drinks) four different standardized amounts of red wine in addition to their habitual diet. Each dose was given to the subjects during a period of 5 weeks in a randomized order, all subjects receiving the four doses. They consisted of 0, 2, and 4 glasses/d, providing 0, 23, and 46 g alcohol/d as well as in "binge drinking" (14 glasses in the weekend, comparable to an average of 2 glasses/d). The results showed a clear dose-related response to the drinking for several blood constituents. Most marked was a decrease in the tissue-type plasminogen activator activity and to a lesser degree an increase in plasminogen levels. Collagen-induced platelet aggregation was reduced, affecting all parameters measured. Levels of HDL3-cholesterol, gammaglutamyltransferase, and urate showed a small but significant increase. No change was noted in the levels of alkaline phosphatase, alanine-aminotransferase, aspartate-aminotransferase, bile acids, folate, fibrinogen, the ADP-induced platelet aggregation, platelet secretion, or in hematologic values. The results are only partially in accordance with the presumed protective action of moderate drinking on the cardiovascular system and show a stronger response to the consumption of alcohol in coagulation and fibrinolysis factors than in blood lipids.