title: Associations of alcohol consumption with diabetes mellitus and impaired fasting glycemia among middle-aged and elderly Chinese.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The U-shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and diabetes mellitus was observed among western populations. However, few studies have systematically evaluated the association in Chinese. We aimed to investigate the associations of alcohol consumption with diabetes mellitus and impaired fasting glycemia (IFG) among middle-aged and elderly Chinese.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 1,458 men and 1,831 women aged 50 to 70 from Beijing and Shanghai China in a cross-sectional survey. Fasting glucose, adipokines and markers of inflammation were measured. Macronutrients and alcohol consumption were assessed with standardized questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with abstainers, alcohol consumption was associated with a decreased risk of having diabetes mellitus in women (OR: 0.41, 95%CI: 0.22-0.78) after controlling for socio-demographic factors, physical activity, smoking, family income, family history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes, macronutrients intake, body mass index, and markers of inflammation and adipokines. In men, both low and high alcohol consumptions were associated with increased risks of having combined diabetes and IFG (ORs 1.36 [95%CI: 1.02-1.82] and 1.50 [95%CI: 1.04-2.15], respectively]. In the multivariable stratified analyses among men, moderate drinkers who had drinking days of ≥ 5 days/week had a deceased likelihood (OR: 0.61, 95%CI: 0.37-0.98) and liquor drinkers had an increased likelihood (OR: 1.47, 95%CI: 1.09-1.98) of having combined diabetes and IFG respectively, compared with the abstainers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An approximately J-shaped association was observed between alcohol consumption and combined diabetes and IFG among men compared with abstainers in Chinese. Whether moderate alcohol intake could help decrease diabetic risk among Chinese people warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute for Nutritional Sciences, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhijie
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Huaixing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Qibin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D054392:Adipokines / Q000097:blood; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000378:metabolism*; D000886:Anthropometry; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior
chemical_list: D054392:Adipokines; D001786:Blood Glucose