CLINICAL ASPECTS Comparison of the Relationships of Alcohol Intake with Atherosclerotic Risk Factors in Men with and without Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract — Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine whether diabetes affects relationships between alcohol intake and atherosclerotic risk factors. Methods: Age- and alcohol intake-matched groups of Japanese men with and without diabetes (each group: n = 1440) were prepared. Relationships of alcohol intake with atherosclerotic risk factors were compared among four sub-groups divided by alcohol intake [non-, light (<22 g/day), moderate (≥22 and <44 g/day) and heavy (≥44 g/day) drinkers]. Results: Both in diabetic and non-diabetic groups, blood pressure was significantly higher in moderate and heavy drinkers than in non-drinkers, triglycerides were significantly higher in heavy drinkers than in non-drinkers, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was significantly higher in all drinker groups than in non-drinkers. In the diabetic group, body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower (P < 0.01) in moderate and heavy drinkers than in non-drinkers [26.11 ± 0.17 kg/m2 (non-drinkers) vs. 24.83 ± 0.19 kg/m2 (moderate drinkers) vs. 24.97 ± 0.23 kg/m2 (heavy drinkers)], while these differences were not found in the non-diabetic group [23.33 ± 0.13 kg/m2 (non-drinkers) vs. 23.30 ± 0.15 kg/m2 (moderate drinkers) vs. 23.46 ± 0.18 kg/m2 (heavy drinkers)]. Both in the diabetic and non-diabetic groups, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was significantly lower in moderate and heavy drinkers than in non-drinkers. In the non-diabetic group, LDL cholesterol was also significantly lower in light drinkers than in non-drinkers [124.7 ± 1.3 mg/dl (non-drinkers) vs. 114.5 ± 2.4 mg/dl (light drinkers), P < 0.01], while this difference was not found in the diabetic group [123.6 ± 1.4 mg/dl (non-drinkers) vs. 123.1 ± 2.6 mg/dl (light drinkers)]. Conclusion: The positive associations of alcohol intake with blood pressure, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol are similar in men with and without diabetes, while the negativ