title: Inverse associations between light-to-moderate alcohol intake and lipid-related indices in patients with diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dyslipidemia is a common complication in patients with diabetes and is involved in being prone to cardiovascular disease. The risk of coronary artery disease is known to be lower in light-to-moderate drinkers than in abstainers. The aim of this study was to clarify whether and how alcohol drinking influences the lipid-related indices, good predictors for cardiovascular disease, such as the ratio of LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (LDL-C/HDL-C ratio), the ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol (TG/HDL-C ratio), and the lipid accumulation product (LAP), in patients with diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were men with diabetes (n = 1477; mean age, 54.0 years) and they were divided into non-, light (< 22 g ethanol/day), moderate (≥ 22 and < 44 g ethanol/day) and heavy (≥ 44 g ethanol/day) drinkers. The relationships between alcohol intake and the lipid-related indices were investigated by the multivariate analyses with adjustment for age, smoking, regular exercise and drug therapy for diabetes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The odds ratio (OR) vs. nondrinkers for high LDL-C/HDL-C ratio tended to be lower with an increase in alcohol intake (OR with 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80 [0.50-1.29] in light drinkers; 0.24 [0.15-0.38] in moderate drinkers and 0.10 [0.05-0.19] in heavy drinkers). Alcohol intake showed an inverse association with a high TG/HDL-C ratio (OR with 95% CI vs. nondrinkers for high TG/HDL-C ratio: 0.54 [0.36-0.80] in light drinkers; 0.73 [0.56-0.97] in moderate drinkers and 0.72 [0.53-0.98] in heavy drinkers) and a J-shaped relationship with a high LAP (OR with 95% CI vs. nondrinkers for high LAP: 0.66 [0.43-1.02] in light drinkers; 0.82 [0.61-1.10] in moderate drinkers, and 1.29 [0.95-1.77] in heavy drinkers). Similar associations between alcohol intake and the lipid indices were obtained in a covariance analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with diabetes, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is inversely associated with lipid-related indices, and this correlates with previous findings of cardiovascular risk reduction by modest drinking in patients with diabetes.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimomura
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D065840:Protective Factors; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D008055:Lipids; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human