The Relation of Light-to-Moderate Alcohol Consumption to Glucose Metabolism and Insulin Resistance in Nondiabetic Adults: the Moderating Effects of Depressive Symptom Severity, Adiposity, and Sex

Abstract

Purpose We examined the relation of alcohol consumption to glucose metabolism and insulin resistance (IR) as a function of depressive symptoms, adiposity, and sex. Method Healthy adults (aged 18–65 years) provided fasting blood samples and information on lifestyle factors. Alcohol intake was categorized as never, infrequent (1–3 drinks/month), occasional (1–7 drinks/week), and regular (≥2 drinks/day) drinkers. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess symptom severity. Primary out-comes were fasting insulin, glucose, and IR assessed by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). Results In univariate analysis, alcohol consumption was negatively associated with HOMA-IR (p = 0.03), insulin (p = 0.007), and body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.04), but not with glucose or BDI. Adjusting for potential confounders including BMI, alcohol consumption was associated with HOMA-IR (p = 0.01) and insulin (p = 0.009) as a function of BDI and sex. For women with minimal depressive symptoms, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption was associated with lower HOMA-IR and insulin. Alcohol consumption was not associated with metabolic markers in women with higher depressive symptoms and in men. In analysis using BMI as a continuous moderator, alcohol consumption was only associated with insulin (p = 0.004). Post-hoc comparisons between BMI groups (<25 vs ≥25 kg/m2) revealed that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption was associated with lower insulin but only in subjects with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Conclusions The benefits of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption on fasting insulin and IR are sex dimorphic and appear to be independently moderated by adiposity and depressive symptom severity.

An Online Questionnaire Survey on the Sexual Life and Sexual Function of Chinese Adult Men During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Epidemic

“…Habit of alcohol drinking was categorized as regular (1 or more drinks per day), occasional (not every day), and never (no drink at all). 18 , 19 “Sexual life” was defined as the penetration of the penis into the vagina; “partner time” was defined as subjects and sexual partners spending time together instead of alone; and “intimacy behavior” was defined as holding hands, hugging, and kissing.…”

Early‐lifeexposure to alcohol and the risk ofalcohol‐inducedliver disease in adulthood

“…Evidence provides that low‐to‐moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of developing hypertension (Briasoulis, Agarwal, & Messerli, 2012; Taylor et al, 2009). A J‐shaped relationship exists between alcohol consumption and insulin resistance; light‐to‐moderate alcohol consumption decreases insulin production, and heavy drinking increases insulin resistance (Suarez, Beckham, & Green, 2017; Tatsumi et al, 2018). Furthermore, alcohol consumption has a positive association with high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (Vidot et al, 2016); Du, Bruno, Dwyer, Venn, & Gall, 2017), and triglycerides (Foerster et al, 2009; Klop, Rego, & Cabezas, 2013).…”

Dynamic Alterations to Hepatic MicroRNA-29a in Response to Long-Term High-Fat Diet and EtOH Feeding

“…Regarding alcohol consumption, the opinions are more varied. Some studies have found light-to-moderate alcohol consumption may be beneficial for heart disease, diabetes, or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but such findings have not been demonstrated universally [22][23][24]. Interestingly, a human epidemiological study found that compared with lifelong abstainers, individuals who consumed <5, <15, and <30 g EtOH per day exhibited adjusted relative risks of developing T2DM of 0.8, 0.67, and 0.42, respectively [25].…”