Association between alcohol consumption and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japanese men

The effect of alcohol intake on the incidence of type 2 diabetes remains controversial due to inconsistent results across studies. A study aimed to better define the association between alcohol consumption and incidence of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers performed a secondary analysis using open-access data from a retrospective Japanese cohort of 15,464 participants who underwent regular medical examinations at Murakami Memorial Hospital. All participants underwent an initial exam including a questionnaire survey, physical examination, and blood biochemical testing to establish a at baseline. The primary outcome was new-onset T2DM during the follow-up exam. Statistical analysis was conducted to assess the risk of alcohol consumption on type 2 diabetes.
During a median follow-up time of 5.39 years, 373 new-onset type 2 diabetes events were observed. The cumulative risk of type 2 diabetes incidence was higher in the heavy alcohol consumption group vs. the other three groups: none/minimal, light, and moderate consumption. Further analysis indicated incidental type 2 diabetes was independently associated with alcohol consumption. The adjusted hazard ratio relative to the none/minimal consumption group was 1.02 (95% confidence interval: 0.71, 1.48) for light consumption, 1.06 (0.71, 1.57) for moderate consumption, and 2.06 (1.30, 3.24) for heavy consumption. Subsequent subgroup analysis confirmed the association between alcohol consumption and type 2 diabetes incidence in men, but not in women.
Heavy alcohol consumption was independently associated with an increased risk of new-onset T2DM in Japanese men.
Source: Song J, Lin WQ. Association between alcohol consumption and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japanese men: a secondary analysis of a Retrospective Cohort Study. BMC Endocr Disord. 2023 Apr 25;23(1):91.