Light to Moderate Alcohol Consumption Is Protective for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Normal Weight and Overweight Individuals but Not the Obese
Table 2
Characteristics of participants by alcohol consumption levels in employed men and women, 1988–1990.
No alcohol
<5 g/day
<20 g/day
≥20 g/day
682
2,128
1,920
782
Age (years)
49.7 (0.24)
48.6 (0.13)***
48.6 (0.14)***
49.0 (0.22)*
Male (%)
64.9
80.3
68.5
New diabetes
41 (6.0%)
49 (2.3%)
54 (2.8%)
26 (3.3%)
IGT
47 (6.9%)
87 (2.3%)
76 (4.0%)
38 (4.9%)
Hypertension
130 (19.1%)
346 (16.3%)
329 (17.1%)
192 (24.6%)
Current cigarette smoker
135 (19.8%)
521 (24.5%)
467 (24.3%)
276 (35.3%)
Ex-cigarette smoker
168 (24.6%)
629 (29.6%)
711 (37.0%)
337 (43.1%)
Age, gender, and ethnicity adjusted
BMI (kg/m2)
27.8 (0.16)
27.1 (0.09)
27.0 (0.09)***
27.4 (0.15)
Fasting plasma glucose (mmol/L)
5.44 (0.04)
5.35 (0.02)*
5.40 (0.02)
5.48 (0.03)
2-hour glucose (mmol/L)
5.23 (0.09)
4.89 (0.04)***
4.85 (0.04)***
4.97 (0.07)**
Total cholesterol (mmol/L)
6.12 (0.05)
6.16 (0.03)
6.16 (0.03)
6.43 (0.04)***
HDL-cholesterol (mmol/L)
1.16 (0.01)
1.20 (0.01)***
1.30 (0.01)***
1.39 (0.01)***
Serum triglycerides (mmol/L)1
1.32 (1.04)
1.35 (1.02)
1.39 (1.02)*
1.56 (1.04)***
Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg)
123.6 (0.53)
122.4 (0.29)
124.0 (0.30)
125.9 (0.48)**
Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg)
75.9 (0.38)
76.3 (0.21)
76.8 (0.22)
77.8 (0.34)**
Physical activity (min/day)1
12.7 (1.19)
14.9 (1.10)
18.7 (1.10)***
18.1 (1.17)**
NZSEI
44.2 (0.46)
46.5 (0.25)***
46.8 (0.27)***
45.8 (0.42)***
; ; compared to no alcohol group. Percentages are for that column.
1Geometric mean (tolerance factor). IGT: impaired glucose tolerance; NZSEI: New Zealand socioeconomic index.
