Moderate Alcohol Consumption Is More Cardioprotective in Men with the Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relation among alcohol consumption, the metabolic syndrome, and the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD). The study was conducted in a cohort of 1966 men from the Quebec Cardiovascular Study. All men were initially free of IHD and, during the follow-up period of 13 y, 219 first cases of IHD were diagnosed. Alcohol consumption was determined by calculating the g/d intake based on standard portions of beer, wine, and spirits. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to a modification of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III definition. Men who consumed >or=15.2 g of alcohol/d (4th quartile of the distribution) were younger (P < 0.001), had elevated plasma HDL-C concentrations (P < 0.001), and lower plasma concentrations of insulin (P = 0.01), CRP (P = 0.01), and fibrinogen (P < 0.001) than men in the 1st quartile (<1.3 g of alcohol/d). After adjustment for a series of coronary risk factors, alcohol consumption >or=15.2 g/d was associated with a 39% reduction in the 13-y risk of IHD [relative risk (RR) of IHD = 0.61, P = 0.02]. Finally, an alcohol consumption <15.2 g/d was associated with an increase of the risk of IHD in men with the metabolic syndrome (RR = 2.24, P < 0.001) but not in men without the metabolic syndrome (RR = 1.31, P = 0.22). These results confirm that moderate daily alcohol consumption has cardioprotective properties and suggest that the effects may be more important in subjects with a deteriorated risk profile, such as those with the metabolic syndrome.

Alcohol consumption promotes insulin sensitivity without affecting body fat levels

“…Our studies show that alcohol consumption increased insulin sensitivity in both mice consuming a LF diet(overweight mice) and mice consuming a HF diet (obese mice). Gigleux et al [5]5 also showed that alcohol consumption decreased the risk of obese individuals (BMI 430 kg/m 2 ) developing diabetes. 5 Studies by other researchers show a negative association between insulin resistance and alcohol consumption.…”

“…Gigleux et al [5]5 also showed that alcohol consumption decreased the risk of obese individuals (BMI 430 kg/m 2 ) developing diabetes. 5 Studies by other researchers show a negative association between insulin resistance and alcohol consumption. 11,20,[30][31][32][33] For example, studies by Kang et al 34 and…”

“…3,4 Alcohol consumption decreases the risk of becoming insulin resistant and developing diabetes. [5][6][7][8][9][10] The mechanism(s) of how alcohol consumption improves insulin sensitivity is not known. However, it is well known that a decrease in body weight (BW) or body fat levels decreases the risk of developing insulin resistance; therefore, it is possible that alcohol improves insulin sensitivity by negatively affecting weight gain or body fat levels.…”

Alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome among Shanghai adults: A randomized multistage stratified cluster sampling investigation

“…Alcoholism only accounts for 5% of the etiology of fatty liver among Shanghai adults [16] . Although alcohol consumption has a negative effect on the morbidity and mortality of liver disease, the correlation between alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome gives rise to much controversy [1,2,5,6,20,[22][23][24][25][26][27] . A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in the USA showed that mild to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome, showing a favorable influence on lipids, waist circumference, and fasting insulin [8,9] .…”

“…Accumulating scientific evidence indicates that light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower cardiovascular mortality and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus [1][2][3][4][5][6] . Some of the biological mechanisms reported to explain this observation include an improvement in lipid profile, especially high-densitylipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and increased insulin sensitivity [1][2][3][4][5][6] . In contrast, heavy or risky drinking is toxic to both the heart and the overall health and is the third www.wjgnet.com leading cause of premature death among Americans [1] .…”