Alcohol and the Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Women

Hong, Won Ki; Kim, Jong Sung; Jung, Jin Gyu; Kim, Sung Soo; Park, Chan Il; Kim, Keun Bae; Jung, In Wook

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Moderate drinking has been known to be associated with a risk of reduced cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. The metabolic syndrome has been associated with a risk of increased cardiovascular diseases. Because drinking is considered as a risk factor of the metabolic syndrome, this study was performed to examine the association between alcohol drinking and the metabolic syndrome in Korean women.
METHODS
The subjects were 262 women who visited the health promotion center of Chungnam National University Hospital for general health check-up. The metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to the definition by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. The abdominal obesity guidelines for waist circumference applied the WHO Asian Pacific Guideline. The subjects were classified into nondrinking, moderate drinking (< or = 1 drink), and heavy drinking (>1 drink) according to their drinking amount per day. The relationship between the components of the metabolic syndrome and drinking state were investigated. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was compared according to the drinking state.
RESULTS
The women with moderate drinking showed significantly lower levels of triglyceride than nondrinkers (P<0.05). The women with drinking showed significantly higher levels of HDL cholesterol than nondrinkers (moderate drinkers P<0.05, heavy drinkers P<0.05). Considering nondrinkers as standard, the risk of the metabolic syndrome was significantly low in women with moderate drinking (odds ratio=0.43, 95% confidence interval: 0.22~0.84, P=0.013).
CONCLUSION
The results of the present study suggest that moderate drinking is related to a lower rate of the metabolic syndrome in Korean women.