Abstract
The Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) rs671 polymorphism, a common variant that impairs aldehyde detoxification, has been linked to cardiovascular disease, but its role in chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains unclear. This study examined the association between the ALDH2 rs671 polymorphism and incident CKD in a population-based cohort, and whether alcohol consumption modifies this relationship. We analyzed 5,369 Korean adults aged 40–69 years without CKD at baseline from the community-based Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, followed biennially for up to 18 years. The main exposures were ALDH2 genotype (GG vs. GA/AA) and categorized alcohol consumption (none, low, moderate, high). Incident CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m² or new-onset proteinuria (≥ 1 + on dipstick). Cox proportional hazards models estimated adjusted hazard ratios (HRs). During a mean 11.7-year follow-up, 1,396 participants (26.0%) developed CKD. CKD risk did not differ significantly between genotypes, and alcohol intake was not associated with CKD incidence. These associations were consistent across genotype or sex. Overall, ALDH2 rs671 and alcohol intake showed limited relevance to CKD onset, suggesting that ALDH2-related biological effects may be more pertinent to disease progression rather than initiation in the general population.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES), Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study and are not publicly available. Data access can be obtained upon reasonable request and with permission of the data provider.
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Funding
This work was supported by grants from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (RS-2024-00437643); the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) (RS-2023-00219563 and NRF-2022R1A2C1007571); and the Soonchunhyang University Research Fund.
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S.H.K. contributed to the study conception and design, supervised the overall project, and provided critical revision of the manuscript. H.J.L. drafted the main manuscript text and coordinated the study. H.Y.L. performed the statistical analysis under the supervision of S.H.K. H.K.L. contributed to data processing and curation. J.N., S.J., H.Y.L., H.K.L., J.S.J., and H.N. contributed to data analysis, interpretation, and manuscript editing. All authors reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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Lee, H.J., Noh, J., Jeong, S. et al. Association of ALDH2 rs671 Polymorphism with chronic kidney disease incidence in a population-based Korean cohort. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43186-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43186-4
