SMOKING, ALCOHOL, AND PLASMA-LEVELS OF CAROTENES AND VITAMIN-E

Cigarette smoking and alcohol intake are major determinants of cardiovascular risk. As summarized in the Surgeon General's report, cigarette smoking increases risk of heart disease and stroke among men and women.1 Convincing evidence also now exists which indicates that alcohol intake is inversely related with risk of major coronary artery disease.2,3 Therefore, if diets substantially differ between smokers and nonsmokers or drinkers and nondrinkers, the association between diet and heart disease in epidemiological investigations may be confounded by alcohol consumption and smoking status. In addition, new evidence which we review in this paper suggests that serum antioxidant levels may be dependent on levels of smoking and alcohol consumption even after controlling for dietary intake. This suggests that the association between diet, specifically antioxidants, and heart disease may also be modified by the smoking and drinking habits of study participants.