1. ¹Department of Public Health, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Shinkawa Mitaka-shi, Tokyo, Japan
2. ²Mito Red Cross Hospital, Sannomaru Mito-shi, Ibaraki, Japan
3. ³Department of Allergy and Immunology, Saitama Medical School, Morohongo, Moroyama, Iruma-gun, Saitama, Japan
4. ⁴Department of Preventive Medicine, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Shinkawa Mitaka-shi, Tokyo, Japan

Correspondence: Dr A Kokaze, Department of Public Health, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2, Shinkawa, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan. E-mail: dawn@kyorin-u.ac.jp

Received 2 September 2002; Revised 28 July 2003; Accepted 29 July 2003.

Abstract

It has been reported that the mitochondrial DNA 5178 adenine/cytosine (mt5178 A/C) polymorphism, also called NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2-237 methionine/leucine (ND2-237 Met/Leu) polymorphism, may be associated with longevity in Japanese individuals, and that the mt5178A genotype may have an antiatherogenic influence. To determine whether mt5178 A/C polymorphism influences blood pressure, we genotyped 412 healthy Japanese individuals and performed a cross-sectional study investigating the relationship between genotype and blood pressure. In women with mt5178A, the mean diastolic blood pressure was higher than in those with mt5178C by 3.2 mmHg (P=0.040). In men, no statistically significant difference in systolic or diastolic blood pressure was observed between mt5178 A/C genotypes. However, a significant correlation between mt5178 A/C genotypes and the effects of habitual drinking on blood pressure was found. After adjustment for several factors, in men carrying mt5178C, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher in daily drinkers than in occasional (P=0.002 and 0.002, respectively) as well as nondrinkers (P<0.001 and 0.001, respectively), whereas in men carrying mt5178A, no significant differences in blood pressure were detected, irrespective of alcohol consumption. These results suggest that mt5178 A/C (=ND2-237 Met/Leu) polymorphism may influence both diastolic blood pressure in Japanese women and the blood-pressure-increasing effect of drinking in Japanese men.