Alcohol and Cholesterol

Excerpt

To the editor: In the review, "The Pathogenesis of Hypercholesterolemia" (Ann Intern Med 80:738-746, 1974), the author states that alcohol has little effect on the blood cholesterol level.

It has been repeatedly shown in humans (1-3), dogs (1), and rats (4, 5) that when ethanol is given in quantities sufficient to make up at least 24% of the total caloric intake or when given in substantial quantity (approximately 90 g or 9 oz per day) there will be a significant increase in both hepatic content and serum concentration of cholesterol.

The references quoted by the author (1, 6) in support