Alcohol Consumption, Serum Gamma-Glutamyltransferase, and Helicobacter Pylori Infection in a Population-Based Study Among 9733 Older Adults
Received 1 September 2009; accepted 10 November 2009.
Purpose
Moderate alcohol consumption has been suggested to facilitate the elimination of Helicobacter pylori infection as the result of its antibacterial effect. We aimed to assess the associations of current and lifetime alcohol consumption as well as serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), an established biomarker of alcohol consumption, with H. pylori infection in a large population-based study.
Methods
In the baseline examination of the ESTHER study, serological measurements of antibodies against H. pylori and GGT measurements were taken in 9733 subjects ages 50 to 74 years. Information on lifestyle factors and medical history were obtained by self-administered standardized questionnaire.
Results
A significant inverse association, in dose-response manner, was observed between both current and lifetime alcohol consumption and H. pylori seropositivity. The estimates based on lifetime consumption were more pronounced than the results for current consumption, and such inverse associations were found both for men and women. Stronger relations were observed for those who only drank wine or mixed drinkers compare with those who only drank beer. Furthermore, there was a significant inverse dose-response relationship between serum GGT levels and H. pylori seropositivity, which was selectively observed among alcohol drinkers.
Conclusions
In conclusion, our results support the hypothesis that moderate alcohol consumption may facilitate elimination of H. pylori.
aDivision of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
bInstitute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
cEpidemiological Cancer Registry of Saarland, Saarbrücken, Germany
Address correspondence to: Lei Gao and Hermann Brenner, Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center, Bergheimer Str. 20, D-69115 Heidelberg, Germany. Tel.: +49-6221-548152; Fax: +49-6221-548142.
This study was supported by the Baden-Wuerttemberg State Ministry of Science, Research and Arts. The work of Lei Gao was supported by a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
ABSTRACT