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

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 subgroups 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 negative associations of alcohol intake with BMI and LDL cholesterol are stronger and weaker, respectively, in men with diabetes than in men without diabetes.