According to Danish researchers, people who drink 3 to 4 per week are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes in comparison to those that do not drink at all.
The study published in Diabetologia suggests that wine is particularly beneficial because it helps manage blood sugar. There was a survey made on 70,000 people and their intake of alcohol – how often and how much they consumed.
However, experts say that this doesn’t mean you should drink more. Public Health England warns that the consumption of alcohol leads to many other severe diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and liver disease.
People should bear in mind the amount of alcohol they consume.
Better Effect When Consumed in Moderation
According to the lead author of the research, a professor at the National Institute of Public Health and the University of Southern Denmark, Prof. Janne Tolstrup, frequent drinking comes with an independent effect regarding the consumed amount of alcohol.
It is better to drink in 4 portions than to drink that amount of alcohol at once. After 5 years, the participants, 887 women, and 859 men had developed some type of diabetes either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
According to the researchers and their conclusion, drinking in moderation 3 to 4 times per week lowers the risk of diabetes. In women, the risk is reduced by 32 percent, while in men by 27 percent.
This is in comparison with people that drink once or even less per week.
Different Types of Alcohol- Different Effects
The study also suggests that different types of alcohol do not come with the same effect. The most beneficial alcohol seems to be wine. Particularly red wine because of polyphenols that help manage blood glucose.
In terms of beer, men that consumed from 1 to 6 beers per week reduced their risk of developing diabetes by 21 percent. In comparison to men that consumed one or less than one per week.
While in women, there was no impact on their risk of developing diabetes. Increased consumption of spirits in women significantly increased the risk of developing diabetes. And on the other hand, there was no effect on the consumption of spirits by men.
The Opinion of Researchers
According to this research, there is no link between diabetes and binge drinking. Professor Tolstrup notes that this might be because only a small number of the participants reported binge drinking.
Binge drinking is the consumption of 5 drinks or more at once, that is, on one occasion.
The head of research communications at Diabetes UK, Dr.Emily Burns, reports that it is necessary to warn people about the fact that the impact of regular consumption of alcohol and the risk of type 2 diabetes differs from individual to individual.
It is advised for women and men not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week. That is around ten small glasses of wine of low strength or 6 pints of beer of average strength.
They can consume this amount within 3 days or more, but they must also be alcohol-free some days.
Not Helpful
The director of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco at Public Health England, Rosanna O’Connor, reports that it is not helpful talking about alcohol and its effect on diabetes alone.
Professor Tolstrup along with her team did research about alcohol and its effect on other conditions. In order to make this study, they used the same survey.
They came to the discovery that drinking in moderation a couple of times per week is related to the reduction of the risk of cardiovascular disorders like stroke and heart attack.
On the other hand, alcohol consumption increased the risk of gastrointestinal diseases like pancreatitis and liver disease.
The conclusion of Prof Tolstrup was that they do not encourage people to drink alcohol. Simply because alcohol is liked to 50 different conditions.
Source BBC News
