Table 1 Characteristics of Heart and Soul and Cardiovascular Health Study Participants by Alcohol Consumption.
|  | Heart and Soul Study (n = 948) | Cardiovascular Health Study (n = 1673) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alcohol Abstainers (n = 321) | Alcohol Consumers (n = 627) | P Value | Alcohol Abstainers (n = 883) | Alcohol Consumers (n = 790) | P Value | |
Demographics | ||||||
Mean age ± SD, y | 66.1 ± 11.2 | 67.1 + 10.8 | 0.202 | 75.1 ± 5.5 | 74.5 + 5.0 | 0.021 |
Male, n (%) | 246 (76.6) | 527 (84.1) | 0.005 | 314 (35.6) | 376 (47.6) | <0.001 |
Race, n (%) | ||||||
White | 146 (45.5) | 425 (67.9) | <0.001 | 749 (84.8) | 704 (89.1) | 0.003 |
Black | 76 (23.7) | 79 (12.6) | Â | 133 (15.1) | 81 (10.3) | Â |
Asian/Hispanic/Other | 99 (30.8) | 122 (19.5) | Â | 1 (0.1) | 5 (0.6) | Â |
Health & Habits | ||||||
Mean BMI ± SD, kg/m2 | 28.7 ± 6.0 | 28.3 ± 5.0 | 0.309 | 27.1 ± 5.0 | 26.7 ± 4.3 | 0.046 |
Mean waist-to-hip ratio ± SD | 0.95 ± 0.08 | 0.96 ± 0.08 | 0.520 | 0.95 ± 0.08 | 0.95 ± 0.07 | 0.608 |
Median kilocalories of physical activity (IQR) | — | — | — | 769 (245–1710) | 945 (303–2221) | <0.001 |
Smoking status, n (%) | ||||||
Current smoker | 69 (21.6) | 120 (19.1) | 0.377 | 89 (10.3) | 106 (13.7) | <0.001 |
Non-smoker | 251 (78.4) | 507 (80.9) | Â | 449 (51.8) | 241 (31.1) | Â |
Former smoker | — | — |  | 329 (38.0) | 429 (55.3) |  |
Usual packs per day during smoking years | ||||||
<1/2 pack per day | 41 (18.6) | 93 (21.1) | 0.816 | — | — | — |
<1 pack per day | 65 (29.6) | 131 (29.7) | Â | Â | Â | Â |
<2 packs per day | 78 (35.5) | 142 (32.2) | Â | Â | Â | Â |
≥2 packs per day | 36 (16.4) | 75 (17.0) |  |  |  |  |
Median drinks per week (IQR) | 0 (0–0) | 11 (11-11) | <0.001 | 0 (0-0) | 1.3 (0.3–7.0) | <0.001 |
Medical History | ||||||
Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 108 (33.6) | 143 (22.8) | <0.001 | 88 (12.7) | 97 (14.2) | 0.402 |
Hypertension, n (%) | 244 (76.0) | 427 (68.1) | 0.011 | 538 (61.3) | 425 (53.9) | 0.002 |
Coronary artery disease, n (%) | — | — | — | 214 (24.2) | 175 (22.2) | 0.314 |
Myocardial infarction, n (%) | 173 (54.3) | 334 (53.5) | 0.837 | 22 (2.5) | 17 (2.2) | 0.646 |
Heart failure, n (%) | 85 (26.5) | 118 (18.9) | 0.007 | 85 (9.6) | 39 (4.9) | <0.001 |
Stroke, n (%) | — | — | — | 21 (2.4) | 11 (1.4) | 0.142 |
Liver disease, n (%) | — | — | — | 7 (0.8) | 5 (0.7) | 0.709 |
Inflammatory Markers | ||||||
Median C-reactive protein (IQR), mg/L | 2.5 (1.0–6.0) | 2.1 (0.87–4.35) | 0.087 | 3.0 (1.3–6.8) | 2.8 (1.4–6.3) | 0.225 |
Median interleukin-6 (IQR), mg/dL | 2.8 (1.8–4.3) | 2.5 (1.5–4.0) | 0.085 | 2.9 (2.0–4.4) | 2.8 (1.9–4.3) | 0.067 |
Mean fibrinogen ± SD, mg/dL | 398.3 ± 87.5 | 390.4 ± 91.4 | 0.205 | 341.0 ± 75.4 | 324.8 ± 70.4 | <0.001 |
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Plasma Levels | ||||||
Median DHA (IQR), % total fatty acids | 2.85 (2.21–3.66) | 3.04 (2.34–4.14) | 0.004 | 2.76 (2.28–3.38) | 2.93 (2.33–3.64) | 0.008 |
Median EPA (IQR), % total fatty acids | 0.52 (0.39–0.74) | 0.68 (0.47–1.13) | <0.001 | 0.81 (0.71–0.93) | 0.82 (0.73–0.93) | 0.106 |
Telomere Length | ||||||
Baseline mean leukocyte telomere lengtha ± SD, kilobase pairs | 5.48 ± 0.55 | 5.42 ± 0.51 | 0.091 | 6.34 ± 0.63 | 6.31 ± 0.60 | 0.239 |
5-year follow-up mean leukocyte telomere lengthb ± SD, kilobase pairs | 5.30 ± 0.35 | 5.28 ± 0.36 | 0.614 | — | — | — |
Median 5-year absolute change in telomere length (IQR)b, basepairs | −268 (−588–133) | −133 (−488–177) | 0.065 | — | N/A | N/A |
