Issue 182 Item 9 Moderate Alcohol Consumption Linked To Decrease In Insulin Leve

Lack of insulin can lead to serious health consequences such as diabetes.

Insulin is a hormone that allows blood glucose to provide energy to most of the body’s cells. New research published in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research shows that drinking a moderate amount of white wine on its own after a meal can cause levels of insulin to drop almost immediately.

"A small to moderate amount of alcohol is accepted and indeed often recommended as beneficial to one’s cardiac health," said Anna Kokavec, a research psychologist affiliated with La Trobe University in Bundoora, Australia and first author of the study. "However, only a limited number of studies have assessed the effect of consuming readily available alcoholic products on major processes in the human body."

Eating foods high in carbohydrates will normally increase blood-glucose levels for several hours, which in turn, encourages insulin production by the pancreas. Insulin enables glucose, the body’s chief source of energy, to gain entry into most of the body’s cells located outside of the brain. A lack of insulin can effectively cause some cells to "starve," leading to serious health consequences such as diabetes.

Researchers examined eight non-diabetic males between the ages of 19 and 22 years. All were required to consume pizza and a soft drink for 45 minutes, and then slowly drink three standard units of white wine (10 grams of alcohol each; 30 grams total) during a 90-minute period following their meal. Plasma glucose and plasma insulin levels were assessed during and following the alcohol-consumption period. Results showed that drinking a moderate amount of white wine on its own after a meal can cause the level of insulin to drop almost immediately. Alcoholism, Nov 2003
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