Alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome in the elderly: results from the Italian longitudinal study on aging

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Although there is plenty of evidence of the association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and cardiovascular disease, the relationship between alcohol consumption and MS is still questioned. The few publications with respect to the elderly seem to indicate that alcohol consumption is unassociated with MS. The aim of this study was to assess the association between alcohol consumption and the prevalence and incidence of MS, as well as its components in a large sample of Italian elderly people. Subjects/Methods: This is a multicenter study on a population-based sample of Italian people aged 65-84 years. The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (ILSA) included a prevalence phase in 1992 and an incidence phase from 1995 to 1996. The median length of follow-up was 3.5 years. In the present study, the analysis included 1321 men grouped into five alcohol consumption classes: abstainers, and those consuming p12, 13-24, 25-47 or X48 g of alcohol in a day. Among the 1122 women considered, the last two of the above five categories were pooled together (424 g/day). MS was defined according to ATP III criteria. All statistical analyses were stratified by gender. Results: Adjusted odds ratios showed that categorized alcohol consumption was not significantly associated with the prevalence and incidence of MS when compared with abstainers in either gender. For the MS incidence survey, three of five components (systolic pressure, glycemia and waist circumference) proved to be significantly and harmfully affected by alcohol consumption in males, whereas no such significant association emerged in females. Conclusions: These results suggest that alcohol can modify an individual's metabolic condition and that, even among the elderly, men might be more sensitive to the effects of alcohol than women.

Alcohol Consumption and Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Men

“…14 As in those previous cross-sectional studies, several longitudinal studies on the association between alcohol consumption and the incidence of MetS in men also have reported discordant results. [19][20][21][22] Results from the Tromso study, 19 the elderly Italian longitudinal study, 20 and the British Regional Heart Study 21 showed that alcohol intake is not related to the incidence of the MetS, which is not consistent with our results. This could be attributable to differences in race and study design; the Tromso study 19 was only based on the frequency of alcohol consumption and included 3 types of beverage (beer, wine, and liquor); the Italian study 20 enrolled only the elderly.…”

Renal impairment and moderate alcohol consumption in the elderly. Results from the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging (ILSA)

“…Another far from negligible effect of alcohol has to do with its influence on insulin sensitivity and the incidence of diabetes. Alcohol consumption is associated with type 2 diabetes in a U-shaped fashion, indicating a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in moderate alcohol consumers than in abstainers or heavy drinkers, and this applies to older women too (26) . On the other hand, alcohol consumption has a harmful effect on systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, which are risk factors for renal function, as amply demonstrated (27) .…”

Alcohol and older people from a public health perspective

“…Individuals with the metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and central obesity, are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, but there is evidence that alcohol intake is not related to the risk of metabolic syndrome in older people [59,60].…”