Moderate Drinking May
Help Control Blood Sugar

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drinking moderate amounts of wine, beer or hard alcohol is associated with better blood glucose (sugar) control among healthy adults, particularly women, study findings indicate.

The researchers used hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), a test that gauges a person's average blood sugar over the past 2 to 3 months. High blood sugar over the long term among non-diabetic people, as measured by HbA1c, has been linked to an increased risk of death from all causes as well as death from heart and blood vessel disease. High HbA1c levels can also indicate an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Women who drank any kind of alcohol had lower HbA1c, regardless of their body mass index (BMI). BMI is a measure of a person's weight in relation to their height and is used to gauge obesity.

In men, however, only wine was associated with healthier blood glucose levels, the researchers report in the September issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. They suggest that lifestyle and personality traits associated with wine drinking may account for the finding, as previous studies have linked beer drinking among men to smoking, hostility and a less healthy diet.

Drinking wine, on the other hand, is associated with healthy lifestyle behaviors such as not smoking and avoiding obesity, as well as a higher level of education. Wine also tends to be consumed with meals, which would blunt the effects of alcohol on the body.

Whatever the reason, the results support those of previous studies and "provide further evidence that moderate alcohol consumption may be one component of a healthy lifestyle," conclude Dr. N. J. Wareham from the University of Cambridge in the UK and colleagues.

The results are based on written interviews with more than 6,400 white adults aged 40 to 78 who were participating in a study on diet and chronic disease. Overall, adults who consumed the most alcohol tended to be younger and to have lower blood glucose levels. Those who consumed alcohol also tended to be more educated, to smoke and to report exercising.

BMI declined as alcohol intake rose among women. Among men, however, BMI rose in tandem to the amount of alcohol consumed. Men and women also differed in the type of alcohol they drank. Men drank more beer, while women tended to drink more wine. Fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with wine but not beer intake.

SOURCE: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;56:882-890.

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