Alcohol Consumption and Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Men - A 3-Year Follow-up Study

Background: This study assessed the effect on incident metabolic syndrome (MetS) of alcohol consumption status at baseline and changes in that status during a follow-up period. Methods and Results: 4,505 men without MetS at baseline were followed for an average of 3 years. Subjects were divided into 4 categories of alcohol consumption status at baseline and changes in that status in the follow-up period. The overall incidence of MetS was 10.6%: 7.0% in the non-drinkers, 10.3% in the light drinkers, 13.8% in the moderate drinkers, and 15.6% in the heavy drinkers (P < 0.001). All of the 3 drinker groups at baseline had higher odds ratios for the incidence of MetS than the non-drinkers (OR [95% confidence interval]: 1.51 [1.06-2.13] in the light drinkers, 1.71 [1.14-2.55] in the moderate drinkers, and 2.11 [1.25-3.56] in the heavy drinkers). Comparison of the 4 categories of alcohol consumption at baseline and after follow-up showed that the ORs in the continuous drinkers showed a trend toward the risk of developing MetS (1.47 [0.99-2.19]) compared with the non-drinkers; the moderate and heavy drinkers in the continuous drinkers group had high ORs for incident MetS; however, new drinkers and ex-drinkers did not. Conclusions: Continuous drinking, especially moderate-to-heavy drinking, is associated with developing MetS in Korean men, suggesting that they should be advised to restrict their alcohol consumption to < 15g/day to attenuate the risk for MetS. (Circ J 2012; 76: 2363-2371)