OSAKA, Japan -- A drink a day may keep diabetes away, according to a new study. A new study shows moderate alcohol consumption among healthy men is associated with a reduced risk for the development of type 2 diabetes.
The medical community has been debating the positive and negative effects on alcohol consumption for years. More and more research shows a moderate level, meaning one drink for a woman a day or two drinks for a man, may have some positive health benefits. Previous research has shown moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Researchers in Japan conducted a study to see if there is an association between alcohol consumption and the risk for developing diabetes.
The study included 2,953 healthy Japanese office workers who ranged in age from 39 to 59 years old. The men's fasting blood sugar levels were measured once a year between May 1994 and May 2001.
Researchers found a U-shaped association between alcohol consumption and the incidence of type 2 diabetes during the seven-year follow-up. Specifically, men who drank moderate amounts of alcohol had a reduced risk of developing diabetes compared to men who drank heavily or not at all. This finding was true even after researchers took into account other risk factors such as age, family history of diabetes, body mass index, cigarette smoking and physical activity.
Researchers write, "As moderate alcohol consumption might lower the risks for CVD (cardiovascular disease) and diabetes, it may well be that the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on CVD are related to the changes in insulin and glucose metabolism."
Source: Ivanhoe Newswire: Diabetes Care, 2003;26:48-54.
January 2003 News Article Index
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