title: Effect of moderate alcohol consumption on adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and insulin sensitivity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Epidemiological studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumers have enhanced insulin sensitivity and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived plasma protein, has been found to be negatively associated with adiposity and positively associated with insulin sensitivity. Moderate alcohol consumption may increase adiponectin, which in turn causes a decrease of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. A decreased TNF-alpha level may consequently increase insulin sensitivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  To test this hypothesis, we performed a randomized crossover partially diet-controlled study. A total of 23 healthy middle-aged male subjects consumed daily four glasses of whisky (40 g ethanol) or tap water with dinner during two successive periods of 17 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Moderate alcohol consumption increased plasma adiponectin level (11%; P = 0.0002) but did not affect plasma TNF-alpha level. An increase in insulin sensitivity index was observed in an insulin-resistant subgroup (21%; P = 0.11), which positively correlated with the relative alcohol-induced increase in plasma adiponectin level (r = 0.73, P = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The experimental results are in agreement with observational data. Moderate alcohol consumption improved insulin sensitivity in relatively insulin-resistant middle-aged men, an effect that may be mediated through alcohol-induced increases in adiponectin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Physiology, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research Nutrition and Food Research, Zeist, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Aafje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sierksma
authors.forename: Hamina
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ouchi
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kihara
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Funahashi
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Heine
authors.forename: Diederick E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Grobbee
authors.forename: Cornelis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kluft
authors.forename: Henk F J
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Hendriks
mesh_terms: D052242:Adiponectin; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D015309:Glucose Clamp Technique; D006801:Humans; D006946:Hyperinsulinism; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin; D007328:Insulin; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha