According to a study, drinking wine with meals is linked to a lower incidence…

Study Finds Drinking Wine With Meals Was Associated With Lower Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes

According to a study, drinking wine with meals is linked to a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes.

According to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference 2022, eating alcohol, particularly wine, with meals is connected with a decreased risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes.

“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,” said Hao Ma, M.D., Ph.D., a biostatistical analyst at the Tulane University Obesity Research Center in New Orleans, who led the study.

“Previous research into how much people drink has yielded varied results. Only a few research have looked into other aspects of drinking, such as the time of alcohol use.”

Motor vehicle crashes, aggression, sexual risk behaviors, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, breast cancer, liver disease, depression, suicide, accidents, alcohol abuse, and alcoholism are all associated with alcohol usage.

These health concerns increase as a person’s alcohol use increases. Even at relatively modest levels of alcohol consumption—less than one drink per day—the risk of certain malignancies and other health issues increases.

Adults who do not consume alcohol should not start, according to the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Those who consume alcohol on a regular basis should see their doctors about the benefits and risks of doing so in moderation.

Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, people under the age of 21, and people with specific health issues should not drink at all.

Moderation is important for individuals who currently consume alcohol. One glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage per day for women and up to two glasses per day for men is considered moderate consumption.

According to Ma, this equates to up to 14 grams (150 ml) of wine per day for women and up to 28 grams (300 ml) of wine per day for males.

“Moderate drinking has also been shown in clinical trials to have certain health benefits, including improved glucose metabolism.

However, it is uncertain if the benefits of improved glucose metabolism transfer into a reduction in type 2 diabetes “he stated, “We wanted to see if the relationship between alcohol consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes differed depending on when the alcohol was consumed.”

Researchers looked at the impact of moderate drinking on new-onset type 2 diabetes in all study participants over the course of 11 years in this study (between 2006 and 2010).

Nearly 312,400 persons from the UK Biobank who self-reported as habitual alcoholics had their data examined. At the time of study enrolment, none of the patients had diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer.

The study excluded people who reduced their alcohol use owing to illness, doctor’s recommendation, or pregnancy. The average age of the participants was around 56 years old, with slightly more than half of the adults being female and 95% of the people being white.

According to the findings of the investigation:

Approximately 8,600 participants in the research developed type 2 diabetes during the course of nearly 11 years of follow-up.

When compared to drinking alcohol without food, drinking alcohol with meals was linked to a 14 percent lower incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Only participants who drank alcohol during meals showed a possible advantage from moderate drinking on type 2 diabetes risk, albeit the exact timing of meals was not gathered in this study.

Participants who drank wine vs. other types of alcohol had the most positive link between drinking alcohol with meals and type 2 diabetes.

Wine, beer, and liquor use all had varied relationships with the incidence of type 2 diabetes.

A higher level of wine consumption was linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, but a higher level of beer or liquor consumption was linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

“The takeaway from this study is that consuming modest amounts of wine with meals can help avoid type 2 diabetes if you don’t have any other health conditions that could be harmed by moderate alcohol intake and you consult your doctor,” Ma said.

According to Robert H. Eckel, M.D., FAHA, a past president of the American Heart Association (2005-2006) who was not involved in the study, the relationship between alcohol consumption and new-onset type 2 diabetes remains controversial, despite the findings of this robust analysis of healthy drinkers.

“These findings suggest that other elements in wine, such as antioxidants, maybe a role in lowering new-onset type 2 diabetes.

While the type of wine, red versus white, and validation of these findings and mechanisms of benefit are still needed, the findings suggest that if you’re going to drink alcohol with your meal, wine may be a better option “Professor emeritus of medicine in the Divisions of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes and Cardiology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Eckel said.

The majority of those who took part were self-identified white adults of European origin, which is a study constraint. It’s unclear whether the findings can be applied to other groups.

Xuan Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Xiang Li, M.D., Ph.D., Yoriko Heianza, Ph.D., and Lu Qi, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA are the co-authors.