Introduction:
Alcohol use, physical activity, diet, and cigarette smoking are modifiable cardiovascular risk factors that have a substantial impact on the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death.
Hypothesis:
We hypothesized that these behaviors may alter concentrations of cardiac troponin, a marker of myocyte injury, and B-type natriuretic peptide, a marker of myocyte stress. Both markers have shown strong association with adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
Methods:
In 564 women with no evidence of cardiovascular disease, we measured circulating concentrations of cardiac troponin T, measured using a high-sensitivity assay (hsTnT), and the N-terminal fragment of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). We used logistic regression to determine if these behaviors were associated with detectable hsTnT (>= 3ng/L) or with NT-proBNP in the highest quartile (≥117.4 ng/L).
Results:
The median (Q1-Q3) NT-proBNP of the cohort was 64.2 (37.8-117.4), and 30.3% (171/564) of the cohort had detectable circulating hsTnT. In adjusted models, women who drank 1-6 drinks per week had a lower odds of having a detectable hsTnT (OR 0.54, 95% CI: 0.33-0.89, P-trend=0.001) or an elevated NT-proBNP (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.19-1.19, P-trend =0.03; Figure). We validated the results for B-type natriuretic peptide in a large independent cohort. No significant associations were seen for diet, exercise, or smoking.
Conclusion:
Regular alcohol consumption is associated with lower concentrations of hsTnT and NT-proBNP, two cardiovascular biomarkers associated with increased cardiovascular risk. These results raise the hypothesis that the beneficial effects of alcohol consumption may be mediated by direct effects on the myocardium.
High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in acute heart failure: Data from the ACE 2 study