Relationship between moderate alcohol consumption, genetic polymorphisms and body weight in a population sample of Puerto Madryn, Argentina

Introduction. The relationship between obesity and alcohol consumption is a topic of significant interest to public health. Alcoholic beverages contribute additional calories to the diet, which could be a relevant factor to the overweight risk. However, its association with weight gain is controversial and influenced by multiple factors. Objective. To analyze the relationship between moderate alcohol intake and body mass index, considering the variables that may influence this relationship. Materials and methods. The sample consisted of 155 individuals from Puerto Madryn (Argentina). Each participant completed a questionnaire about health, lifestyle, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. Anthropometric measurements were taken, and polymorphisms of 18 genes related to alcohol metabolism were genotyped. Results. We found that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower body mass index, particularly in females. An increase of 14 grams of alcohol was associated with a risk of 0.68 for obesity and 0.71 for overweight. The T variant of the marker rs4646543 (ALDH1A1), a gene involved in alcohol metabolism and adipogenesis, was associated with a higher frequency of alcohol consumption. Conclusion. The findings of this study suggest that moderate alcohol consumption does not significantly contribute to body weight in the sample studied. Furthermore, the association with genetic variants, such as those of the ALDH1A1 gene, may provide a biological explanation for the inverse relationship observed between weight and alcohol consumption.