Drinking wine with meals may lower risk of type 2 diabetes
Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol with meals is associated with a lower overall risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2022.
“The effects of alcohol consumption on health have been described as a double-edged sword because of its apparent abilities to cut deeply in either direction — harmful or helpful, depending on how it is consumed,” study author Hao Ma, MD, PhD, a biostatistical analyst with the Tulane University Obesity Research Center in New Orleans, said in a statement. “Previous studies have focused on how much people drink and have had mixed results. Very few studies have focused on other drinking details, such as the timing of alcohol intake.”
Ma et al. examined U.K. Biobank data from more than 312,000 adults who regularly drink alcohol. Individuals with diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer at the time of enrollment were not included in this analysis. The average age was 56 years old, and 95% of the group was white. The average follow-up period was nearly 11 years.
Overall, the authors found, adults who drank alcohol with meals faced a 14% lower risk of type 2 diabetes than adults who drank alcohol without food. The specific timing of each meal was not recorded, but this specific benefit was only seen when alcohol was consumed with food.
The trend was especially present, the team added, when the alcohol of choice was wine.
“While the type of wine, red versus white, needs to be defined, and validation of these findings and mechanisms of benefit are needed, the results suggest that if you are consuming alcohol with meals, wine may be a better choice,” Robert H. Eckel, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Anshutz Medical Campus and a past president of the American Heart Association, said in the same statement.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases both provided funding for this analysis.
Related Heart Health Content:
Verapamil shows potential as a long-term oral treatment for type 1 diabetes
Long-term use of angiotensin-receptor blockers increases risk of cancer, new study confirms
4 new medications and technologies that could transform cardiology in 2022
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.