Elevated inflammation in association with alcohol abuse among Blacks but not Whites: results from the MIDUS biomarker study

Abstract

Some studies document racial disparities in self-reported health associated with alcohol use and abuse. However, few studies examined biomarkers that underlie the onset of alcohol-related chronic diseases. We investigated whether the association between alcohol abuse and five biomarkers of inflammation (CRP, IL-6, fibrinogen, E-selectin, sICAM-1) vary between Black and White Americans aged 35 to 84 (n = 1173) from the Midlife in the United States Biomarker Study. Multivariable Ordinary Least Squares regressions were used to assess Black-White differences in the association between alcohol abuse and the biomarkers. Race moderated the association between alcohol abuse and CRP (b = 0.56, SE = 0.28, p = 0.048), IL-6 (b = 0.65, SE = 0.22, p = 0.004), and a composite inflammation score (b = 0.014, SE = 0.07, p = 0.041). These findings potentially shed light for why alcohol has a stronger negative association with poorer health for Blacks compared to Whites. Analysis should be replicated in larger prospective cohorts.

Negative and positive affect as predictors of inflammation: Timing matters

“…All of the interaction findings in the present research were exploratory and would require replication and greater probing (ideally with larger samples) prior to making any conclusions. Taken together, however, particularly in light of racial disparities in inflammation that appear to exist even beyond effects of socioeconomic status (Herd, Karraker, & Friedman, 2012; Ransome et al, 2018), these exploratory moderation analyses support the importance of having diverse samples and of examining sociodemographic differences that may relate to the connection between psychological phenomena and health.…”

“…Moreover, the present sample was comprised of a majority of African-American participants and a sizable minority of Hispanic participants. Recent studies have revealed significantly higher CRP levels among African-Americans compared to White participants (Gruenewald, Cohen, Matthews, Tracy, & Seeman, 2009; Herd et al, 2012; Ranjitet al, 2007; Ransome et al, 2018). Thus, the present sample may be more representative of at least certain populations than many other studies, which frequently exclude individuals on the basis of health conditions and which are often predominately White.…”

“…Thus, a second goal was to contrast associations of momentary affect ratings obtained during the week proximal to the blood draw with the same measures obtained during the week further from the blood draw, with the expectation that the former would be more predictive of inflammation. On an exploratory basis, we examined moderation of primary findings by race, ethnicity, age, education, and gender given past literature linking all of these important sociodemographic factors with health disparities and with inflammatory markers specifically (e.g., Darnall & Suarez, 2009; Graham, Christian, & Kiecolt-Glaser, 2006; O’Connoret al, 2009; Ransome, Slopen, Karlsson, & Williams, 2018). In particular, several studies have observed interactions by gender in the connection between affect and inflammation (e.g., Sin, Graham-Engeland, Ong, & Almeida, 2015; Steptoe et al, 2008).…”

Effects of Bio-Psycho-Socio-Spiritual Factors on Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Inflammation in Elderly Indonesian Muslim

“…[56][57][58] When this is compared with other studies, such as blacks and whites in America in terms of BMI, hs-CRP and ICAM-1, there is an upward trend in BMI followed by increases in hs-CRP and ICAM-1. [59] In terms of hs-CRP levels in the current study population, compared with other studies. [24,59,60] All subjects, regardless of cardiovascular risk, hs levels -CRP less than 1 mg/L, however, further investigation is required for polymorphism.…”

“…[59] In terms of hs-CRP levels in the current study population, compared with other studies. [24,59,60] All subjects, regardless of cardiovascular risk, hs levels -CRP less than 1 mg/L, however, further investigation is required for polymorphism. The implication of the classification of cardiovascular risk based on hs-CRP levels needs to be reviewed for the Javanese populations.…”