Low prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in wine drinkers--is it the alcohol beverage or the lifestyle?
OBJECTIVE
To study how the intake of alcohol and the choice of wine, beer, and spirits is related to lifestyle factors and the metabolic syndrome in 60-y-old men and women.


METHODS
Cross-sectional population based study.


METHODS
Stockholm County, Sweden.


METHODS
Sixty-year-old men and women (n=4232).


RESULTS
Moderate intake of wine (10-30 g/day) was associated with a lifestyle characterized by being married, having a university education, being employed, being Swedish-born, having a good quality of life according to economy, leisure time and health, compared with a group with low alcohol intake. The opposite characteristics were seen among the non-drinkers. Drinkers of spirits were more often smokers and also reported higher intake of sausage and fried potatoes compared with a group with low alcohol intake. In women, the metabolic syndrome was significantly more common in non-drinkers (20%), P<0.05, and less common among wine drinkers (8%), P<0.01, compared with a group with low alcohol intake. After adjustments, a significant lower odds ratio for the metabolic syndrome were seen in wine drinkers in women (OR=0.60, P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Compared with low alcohol drinkers, moderate wine drinkers exhibited a more favorable pattern according to both lifestyle factors and metabolic parameters. The close link between alcohol drinking behaviour and lifestyle habits illustrate the complex relationship between alcohol and health.
Rosell
M
M
Division of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. magdalena.rosell@imm.ki.se
De Faire
U
U
Hellénius
M-L
ML
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000378:metabolism; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology