Different types of alcoholic beverages and incidence of metabolic syndrome and its components in a Mediterranean cohort

Abstract

Background & aims: We prospectively assessed the association between alcohol consumption and the incidence of Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in a Mediterranean cohort.

Methods: We included 8103 (mean age: 35.4 years) University graduates free of any MS criteria and followed-up during ≥6 years. Alcohol consumption was collected with a validated 136-item food frequency questionnaire. New-onset cases of MS were defined according to the updated harmonizing criteria.

Results: We observed 341 incident cases of MS. Consumers of ≥7 drinks/wk presented a significantly higher risk of developing MS (aOR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.22-2.66; p < 0.001) compared with non-drinkers. In addition, alcohol drinkers (≥7 drinks/wk) had higher risk of hypertriglyceridemia (aOR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.46-2.93) and impaired fasting glucose (aOR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.16-2.04). Beer consumption was associated with higher risk for MS (p for trend = 0.027) and higher risk of hypertriglyceridemia (aOR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.02-3.20), but with lower risk of low HDL-cholesterol criterion (aOR: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.05-0.89) for ≥7 drinks/wk versus no consumption. Non-significant association was observed between wine or liquor consumption and MS.

Conclusions: Consumption of at least seven alcoholic drinks per week was associated with a higher risk of developing MS among subjects initially free of any MS criteria.

Keywords: AHA/NHLBI; ATP-III; Adult treatment panel III; Alcohol consumption; America Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; BMI; CI; CVD; Cohort; DBP; FFQ; IDF; Incidence; International Diabetes Federation; MS; Metabolic syndrome; Q0; Q6; SBP; SUN; Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra. Follow-up University of Navarra; TG; aOR; adjusted odds ratio; baseline questionnaire; body mass index; cardiovascular disease; confidence interval; diastolic blood pressure; food frequency questionnaire; metabolic syndrome; questionnaire after 6 years of follow-up; systolic blood pressure; triglycerides.