The relationship between alcohol consumption and HDL cholesterol: A study of Hispanic drinking patterns

There has been very little research that has studied the effects of alcohol on biochemical markers in ethnic populations. This particular study is designed to identify the association, if any, between drinking patterns and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in a Hispanic population. Most of what we know about the association between alcohol and HDL-C deals specifically with volume of alcohol consumed on a daily basis. Frequency, or how often alcohol consumption occurs within a given time period, is a variable that has rarely been studied. The results of this study showed how both volume and frequency of alcohol consumption affect HDL-C levels in a predominantly middle-aged Hispanic population. Ultimately, we will be able to apply these findings to future studies concerning risk of CHD in Hispanics. ^