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Effects Of Alcohol, Lipids And Insulin In Non-Diabetics

Regular alcohol consumption induces a dose-dependent increase in insulin sensitivity among men without diabetes, although insulin's benefits on lipids are relatively small.

Researchers from Kyushu University, Fukuoka City, Japan, examined 2,103 non-diabetic subjects aged between 40 and 79 years. In men, increasing alcohol consumption was associated with decreased insulin levels as well as a decline in insulin resistance. However, these effects were not apparent among women. Alcohol intake did not show a dose-response relationship with glucose levels.

Higher levels of alcohol consumption were associated with increased concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) in men and women. On the other hand, levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) declined with increasing alcohol intake. In men, triglyceride levels and alcohol intake showed a J-shaped relationship. Moderate drinkers, who consumed between 10 and 29 g of alcohol daily, showed the lowest triglyceride levels.

On regression analysis, insulin accounted for 10 and 2% of the increase in HDLC and decrease in LDLC respectively induced by alcohol in men. Low insulin levels accounted for 36 of the reduction in triglycerides due to low-to-moderate alcohol consumption. Moreover, insulin attenuated the beneficial relationship between alcohol and triglycerides among moderate and heavy drinkers by 13%.
J Clin Epidemiol 2003;56:2:196-204. "Insulin-mediated effects of alcohol intake on serum lipid levels in a general population. The Hisayama Study"

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