Alcohol consumption and other risk factors for self-reported diabetes among middle-aged Japanese: a population-based prospective study in the JPHC study cohort I.
OBJECTIVE
Few prospective studies have examined the relationship between lifestyle characteristics and the incidence of diabetes mellitus in an Asian general population. This study was undertaken to evaluate the risk factors for Type 2 diabetes in a population-based prospective study of middle-aged Japanese.


METHODS
We investigated 12,913 men and 15,980 women, aged 40-59 years at baseline (year 0), who participated in the Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study on cancer and cardiovascular diseases (JPHC Study) Cohort I. The participants were followed for up to 10 years. Incident cases of diabetes were identified by self-reporting of a physician's diagnosis on two questionnaires sent to each participant, one at year 5 and the second at year 10.


RESULTS
During the 10-year follow-up, 703 men and 482 women reported newly diagnosed diabetes. Age, body mass index (BMI), family history of diabetes and cigarette smoking were independent risk factors in both genders by multivariate analysis. Among men with a BMI < or = 22 kg/m2, a significant positive association was observed between the diabetes incidence and moderate (23.0 < 46.0 g/day) to high (> 46.0 g/day) alcohol consumption, odds ratio 1.91 (95% CI, 1.05-3.46) and 2.89 (1.63-5.11), respectively. Among men with a BMI > 22 kg/m2, a small non-significant increase in odds ratio was observed with alcohol consumption.


CONCLUSIONS
Established risk factors for diabetes in western populations were also identified as predictors of the disease among Japanese. Moderate to high alcohol consumption was positively associated with the incidence of diabetes in Japanese lean (BMI < or = 22 kg/m2) men.
Waki
K
K
Department of Metabolic Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Noda
M
M
Sasaki
S
S
Matsumura
Y
Y
Takahashi
Y
Y
Isogawa
A
A
Ohashi
Y
Y
Kadowaki
T
T
Tsugane
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects