Relationship between a wide range of alcohol consumptions, components of the insulin-like growth factor system and adiponectin.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relation between a wide range of alcohol consumptions and levels of the components of insulin-like growth factor system (IGFs) and adiponectin in humans.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study using controls from a case-control study on ovarian and endometrial cancer.


METHODS
The study included women hospitalized between 1999 and 2002 in Pordenone, Italy.


METHODS
One hundred and eight cancer-free (controls) with a median age of 61 years (range 29-79 years), admitted for acute conditions unrelated to gynecologic, hormonal or metabolic disorders or diseases leading to dietary modifications.


METHODS
Levels of IGF-I (total and free), total IGF-II, IGF-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), IGFBP-3 and adiponectin were individually measured, and their distributions across strata of alcohol consumption were tested by the Kruskal-Wallis statistic.


RESULTS
Median concentrations of total IGF-I were higher (P<0.01) in women reporting low (151 ng/ml) or no alcohol consumption (134 ng/ml) compared to drinkers of 12-23 g/day (103 ng/ml) or >or=24 g/day (118 ng/ml). Median concentrations were higher (P=0.05) for IGFBP-3 in non-drinkers (2333 ng/ml) and in light drinkers (2647 ng/ml) compared to drinkers of >or=24 g/day (2090 ng/ml). No statistically significant difference emerged for other IGFs across levels of alcohol intakes. Adiponectin was slightly lower for non-drinkers, compared to all drinkers categories.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that alcohol consumption is related to circulating levels of components of the IGF system and adiponectin. These results may have a potential impact on the prevention of several chronic diseases.


BACKGROUND
Italian Association for Research on Cancer, Milan, Italy, and Italian League against Tumours, Milan, Italy.
Dal Maso
L
L
Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Aviano Cancer Center, IRCCS, Aviano, Italy. epidemiology@cro.it
La Vecchia
C
C
Augustin
L S A
LS
Mantzoros
C S
CS
Kendall
C W C
CW
Franceschi
S
S
D052242:Adiponectin / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 / Q000097:blood; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000097:blood; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D013002:Somatomedins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D052242:Adiponectin; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; D013002:Somatomedins; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II