A Cross-Sectional Study of Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Biologic Markers of Glycemic Control Among 459 Women

  1. Candyce H. Kroenke, MPH, SCD12,
  2. Nain-Feng Chu, SCD3,
  3. Nader Rifai, MD4,
  4. Donna Spiegelman, SCD15,
  5. Susan E. Hankinson, SCD16,
  6. JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DRPH126 and
  7. Eric B. Rimm, SCD127
  1. 1Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
  2. 2Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
  3. 3Departments of Community Medicine and Public Health, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
  4. 4Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital, and the Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
  5. 5Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
  6. 6Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
  7. 7Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
  1. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Candyce Kroenke, Channing Laboratory, 181 Longwood Ave., 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: n2chk{at}channing.harvard.edu.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE—Little research has explored associations of drinking patterns with glycemic control, especially among women. Our objective was to determine the relationship of patterns of alcohol consumption—including average daily consumption, weekly frequency of consumption, drinking with meals, and beverage type—with biologic markers of insulin resistance in young women.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—This study was cross-sectional in design. The subjects consisted of a stratified random subpopulation of 459 U.S. normal-weight and overweight female nurses, 33–50 years of age, drawn from the Nurses’ Health Study II and sampled for distinct drinking patterns. Women provided blood samples and detailed information on dietary and lifestyle factors between 1995 and 1999. The main outcome measures were fasting insulin, C-peptide, and HbA1c.

RESULTS—Adjusting for age, smoking, physical activity, television watching, BMI, and several dietary factors, average alcohol intake was inversely associated with HbA1c (units in percentage of HbA1c): 0 g/day (reference = 5.36%), 0.1 to <5.0 g/day (−0.04%), 5.0 to <15.0 g/day (−0.09%), 15.0 to <25.0 g/day (−0.10%), and ≥25.0 g/day (−0.17%) (P value, test for trend <0.001). We found an inverse association of alcohol intake and insulin, but only for women with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2. Specifically, insulin levels were lowest for episodic drinkers consuming ≥2 drinks per day on 0–3 days per week. Consumption with meals and type of alcoholic beverage did not further influence these results.

CONCLUSIONS—Moderate alcohol consumption of 1–2 drinks per day on a few to several days of the week may have a beneficial glycemic effect, particularly among overweight women.

Footnotes

  • E.B.R. has received honoraria from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

    A table elsewhere in this issue shows conventional and Système International (SI) units and conversion factors for many substances.

    • Accepted April 9, 2003.
    • Received February 18, 2003.
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  1. doi: 10.2337/diacare.26.7.1971 Diabetes Care July 2003 vol. 26 no. 7 1971-1978
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