Alcohol
Unlikely to Cut Diabetes Risk
A
new study has found that alcohol does not appear to prevent the
development of type 2 diabetes.
Although
several recent studies have suggested that light to moderate drinking
might protect against diabetes,
In
the current investigation, lead author Dr. Goya Wannamethee of Royal
Free and University College Medical School, London, UK and colleagues
studied 5,221 healthy British men between the ages of 40 and 59 years.
After 17 years of follow-up, 198 of the men developed type 2 diabetes.
In
the study, moderate alcohol consumption was defined as consuming 16 to
42 drinks per week. The investigators report that the heaviest
drinkers--more than 42 drinks per week--had the highest risk of
developing type 2 diabetes, which they attributed to the additional
calories consumed and resulting overweight from drinking so much
alcohol.
Co-author
Dr. Gerry Shaper said that “these drinkers consumed more than 42
units of alcohol per week, drinking 6 or more units a day most days in
the week.
Moderate
drinkers appeared to carry the lowest risk of developing type 2
diabetes, the researchers report in the June issue of the Journal of
Epidemiology and Community Health.
Shaper
stated that "there appears to be no justification for encouraging
light or occasional drinkers to increase their intake or for
nondrinkers to take up drinking." "There is no sound
rationale for alcohol preventing the development of diabetes,"
Shaper added. "Indeed, alcohol lowers levels of blood
insulin."
Moderate
alcohol consumption as defined in the present study may be considered
fairly heavy alcohol consumption by American standards, Shaper pointed
out.
"Regular
moderate drinking is certainly likely to be associated with more
untoward effects than overall benefits, and is certainly not a
desirable public health recommendation," Shaper concluded.
SOURCE: Journal of
Epidemiology and Community Health 2002;56:542-548.
Did
you know?
Trental
(pentoxifylline) is being used more for venous leg ulcers.
These ulcers are usually treated with compression bandages...but some
ulcers don’t heal.
Adding
Trental to compression therapy improves healing...probably
because of Trental’s ability to improve blood flow and
inhibit inflammatory cytokines.
If you know of patients with leg ulcers that aren’t healing, alert
them and their physicians to the potential benefits of Trental.
Researchers are using 400 to 800 mg three times daily for up to 24
weeks...for ulcers that don’t heal after 6 months...or are larger
than 2x2 inches.
Also. keep Pletal (cilostazol) in mind for patients who can’t
take Trental. Preliminary reports suggest it may be a useful
alternative.
BMJ
1990;300:972-5., Lancet
2002;359:1550-4.
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