Light to Moderate Alcohol Consumption Is Protective for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Normal Weight and Overweight Individuals but Not the Obese
Table 1
Characteristics of participants overall and by body mass index levels in employed men and women, 1988–1990.
Overall
Normal
Overweight
Obese
5,512
1,896
2,410
1,206
Age (years)
48.8 (0.08)
48.5 (0.14)
49.2 (0.13)
48.5 (0.17)
Male (%)
72.4
64.9
80.3
68.5
No alcohol consumption
682 (12.4%)
199 (10.5%)
216 (9.0%)
267 (22.2%)
Alcohol (g/day)
<5
2128 (38.6%)
780 (41.1%)
889 (36.9%)
459 (38.1%)
<20
1920 (34.8%)
685 (36.1%)
904 (37.5%)
331 (27.4%)
≥20
782 (14.2%)
232 (12.2%)
401 (16.6%)
149 (12.4%)
New type 2 Diabetes
170 (3.1%)
17 (0.9%)
44 (1.8%)
109 (9.0%)
IGT
248 (4.5%)
44 (2.3%)
104 (4.3%)
100 (8.3%)
Hypertension
997 (18.1%)
193 (10.1%)
435 (18.0%)
369 (30.6%)
Current cigarette smoker
1399 (25.4%)
474 (25.0%)
613 (25.4%)
312 (25.9%)
Ex-cigarette smoker
1845 (33.5%)
565 (29.8%)
871 (36.1%)
409 (33.9%)
Age, gender, and ethnicity adjusted
BMI (kg/m2)
27.2 (0.06)
23.1 (0.05)
27.3 (0.04)***
33.4 (0.07)***
Fasting plasma glucose (mmol/L)
5.40 (0.01)
5.21 (0.05)
5.37 (0.02)***
5.75 (0.03)***
2 hour glucose (mmol/L)
4.93 (0.03)
4.59 (0.04)
4.85 (0.04)***
5.62 (0.06)***
Total cholesterol (mmol/L)
6.19 (0.02)
6.00 (0.03)
6.28 (0.02)***
6.33 (0.04)***
HDL-cholesterol (mmol/L)
1.26 (0.004)
1.35 (0.01)
1.24 (0.01)***
1.15 (0.01)***
Serum triglycerides (mmol/L)1
1.38 (1.01)
1.13 (1.02)
1.45 (1.02)***
1.76 (1.03)***
Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg)
123.6 (0.19)
119.3 (0.30)
123.9 (0.26)***
129.8 (0.40)***
Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg)
76.6 (0.13)
73.6 (0.22)
76.8 (0.19)***
80.9 (0.29)***
Physical activity (min/day)1
16.2 (1.06)
17.6 (1.11)
17.2 (1.09)
12.7 (1.14)***
NZSEI
46.2 (0.17)
47.4 (0.28)
46.1 (0.24)***
44.6 (0.37)***
versus normal weight individuals. Percentages are for that group (column).
1geometric mean (tolerance factor). IGT = impaired glucose tolerance. NZSEI = New Zealand socio-economic index.
