BACKGROUND: This study examines the relation between alcohol and type II diabetes and the possible mediating effects of HDL-cholesterol and serum insulin. METHODS: Prospective study of 5221 men aged 40-59 years with no history of coronary heart disease, diabetes, or stroke drawn from general practices in 18 British towns. RESULTS: During the mean follow up of 16.8 years there were 198 incident cases of type II diabetes. Occasional drinkers were the reference group. A non-linear relation was seen between alcohol intake and age adjusted risk of diabetes, with risk lowest in light and moderate drinkers and highest in heavy drinkers (quadratic trend p=0.03). Further adjustment for body mass index decreased risk in heavy drinkers. After additional adjustment for physical activity, smoking, and (undiagnosed) pre-existing coronary heart disease, only moderate drinkers showed significantly lower risk than occasional drinkers (RR=0.66 95% CI 0.44 to 0.99). Alcohol intake was inversely associated with serum insulin and positively associated with HDL-cholesterol. Adjustment for these factors reduced the "protective" effect in moderate drinkers (adjusted RR=0.73 95% CI 0.48 to 1.10) but the quadratic trend remained significant (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: There is a non-linear relation between alcohol intake and the risk of type II diabetes. Serum insulin and HDL-cholesterol explained a small amount (20%) of the reduction in risk of type II diabetes associated with moderate drinking. The adverse effect of heavy drinking seemed to be partially mediated through its effect on body weight.
BACKGROUND: This study examines the relation between alcohol and type II diabetes and the possible mediating effects of HDL-cholesterol and serum insulin. METHODS: Prospective study of 5221 men aged 40-59 years with no history of coronary heart disease, diabetes, or stroke drawn from general practices in 18 British towns. RESULTS: During the mean follow up of 16.8 years there were 198 incident cases of type II diabetes. Occasional drinkers were the reference group. A non-linear relation was seen between alcohol intake and age adjusted risk of diabetes, with risk lowest in light and moderate drinkers and highest in heavy drinkers (quadratic trend p=0.03). Further adjustment for body mass index decreased risk in heavy drinkers. After additional adjustment for physical activity, smoking, and (undiagnosed) pre-existing coronary heart disease, only moderate drinkers showed significantly lower risk than occasional drinkers (RR=0.66 95% CI 0.44 to 0.99). Alcohol intake was inversely associated with serum insulin and positively associated with HDL-cholesterol. Adjustment for these factors reduced the "protective" effect in moderate drinkers (adjusted RR=0.73 95% CI 0.48 to 1.10) but the quadratic trend remained significant (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: There is a non-linear relation between alcohol intake and the risk of type II diabetes. Serum insulin and HDL-cholesterol explained a small amount (20%) of the reduction in risk of type II diabetes associated with moderate drinking. The adverse effect of heavy drinking seemed to be partially mediated through its effect on body weight.
Authors: B Fagrell; U De Faire; S Bondy; M Criqui; M Gaziano; M Gronbaek; R Jackson; A Klatsky; J Salonen; A G Shaper Journal: J Intern Med Date: 1999-10 Impact factor: 8.989
Authors: Jill P Crandall; Sarit Polsky; Andrea A Howard; Leigh Perreault; George A Bray; Elizabeth Barrett-Connor; Janet Brown-Friday; Tracy Whittington; Sandra Foo; Yong Ma; Sharon L Edelstein Journal: Am J Clin Nutr Date: 2009-07-29 Impact factor: 7.045
Authors: Dolly O Baliunas; Benjamin J Taylor; Hyacinth Irving; Michael Roerecke; Jayadeep Patra; Satya Mohapatra; Jürgen Rehm Journal: Diabetes Care Date: 2009-11 Impact factor: 17.152