PEth as a marker of alcohol consumption in relation to arterial cardiovascular risk factors

BACKGROUND: Alcohol has well-known detrimental effects on health. Phosphatidyl ethanol 16:0/18:1 (PEth) is a highly sensitive biomarker of alcohol consumption used in primary healthcare. The relationship between PEth concentrations and cardiovascular risk factors remains unclear. Our hypothesis was that high PEth concentrations would be associated with an unfavourable cardiovascular risk factor profile. This study aimed to investigate the associations between PEth concentrations and arterial cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was based on data from the Västerbotten Intervention Programme and included 2820 individuals. Health examinations were conducted, including questionnaires collecting data on cardiovascular risk factors. PEth concentrations were analysed in packed erythrocytes from blood samples collected between 1985 and 2014 and stored at -80 °C until analysis. Participants were categorised into four groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between PEth concentrations and arterial cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: The median age of participants was 50.2 years, and the median BMI was 25.9. High PEth concentrations (>0.30 μmol/L) were observed in 8.9% of participants and were associated with hypertension (OR 1.58 [95% CI 1.14-2.18]), diabetes (OR 1.89 [95% CI 1.08-3.28]), male sex (OR 2.58 [95% CI 1.90-3.50]), ever smoking (OR 5.31 [95% CI 3.75-7.52]) and lower education level (OR 2.06 [95% CI 1.32-3.22]) compared with PEth <0.01 μmol/L. CONCLUSIONS: High PEth concentrations were associated with established risk factors for arterial cardiovascular disease. These findings should encourage a broader clinical focus when managing patients with elevated PEth concentrations.