Abnormal glucose tolerance and alcohol consumption in three populations at high risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The associations of alcohol intake with the prevalence and incidence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and impaired glucose tolerance were examined in three populations at high risk for NIDDM. Population-based surveys performed in Mauritius in 1987, in Kiribati in 1981, and in Nauru in 1982 and 1987 provided data on alcohol intake, glucose tolerance, and associated risk factors for NIDDM in over 8,700 subjects not previously known to be diabetic. There was no consistent relation of alcohol intake to fasting or 2-hour glucose concentration in either prevalence or prospective studies. Odds ratios for newly diagnosed NIDDM associated with increasing alcohol intake were not significantly different from unity in any population in either prevalence or prospective data. Alcohol consumption was, however, related to other metabolic parameters associated with cardiovascular disease and NIDDM, i.e., increased systolic blood pressure, fasting triglycerides, uric acid, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol and a reduction in 2-hour insulin. The results of this study do not support the hypothesis of an independent effect of alcohol consumption on the development of NIDDM, but increased alcohol consumption is associated with variation in other cardiovascular disease risk factors in these three populations.