title: Alcohol, diabetes, and public health in the Americas.
abstract: This article describes epidemiological evidence on the association between alcohol use and diabetes, and the implications for clinical management and public health policies in the Americas. Heavy alcohol use is a risk factor for both diabetes and poor treatment adherence, despite evidence that moderate drinking can protect against type 2 diabetes under some circumstances. The burden of disease from diabetes associated with excessive alcohol consumption warrants both clinical and public health measures. On the clinical level, research on early interventions to prevent hazardous drinking shows that new screening, brief intervention, and referral techniques are effective ways to manage hazardous drinking in primary care settings. On the population level, restrictions on alcohol marketing and other alcohol control policies reduce the frequency and intensity of alcohol consumption in at-risk populations. These policy actions are recommended within the context of the World Health Organization's global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine and Health Care, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, United States of America. babor@nso.uchc.edu
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Babor
authors.forename: Jurgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rehm
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jernigan
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vaeth
authors.forename: Maristela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Hallie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lehman
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D000569:Americas / Q000453:epidemiology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004347:Drug Interactions; D000431:Ethanol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015994:Incidence; D011634:Public Health; D013695:Temperance
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D000431:Ethanol