Low prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in wine drinkers|[mdash]|is it the alcohol beverage or the lifestyle?

doi:doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601548

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition homepage

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, 227–234. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601548

Low prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in wine drinkers—is it the alcohol beverage or the lifestyle?

M Rosell^1,*,†, U de Faire^1,2,† and M-L Hellénius^2,*,†

¹Division of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
²Cardiovascular Laboratory, Department of Cardiology, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence: M Rosell, Division of Cardiovascular Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: magdalena.rosell@imm.ki.se

^*Guarantors: M Rosell and M-L Hellénius.

^†Contributors: MR contributed to the data analyses, the interpretation and the writing of the paper. MLH and UdF designed the study and contributed to the interpretation of the analyses.

Received 8 November 2001; Revised 29 May 2002; Accepted 4 June 2002.

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Abstract

Objective: To study how the intake of alcohol and the choice of wine, beer, and spirits is related to lifestyle factors and the metabolic syndrome in 60-y-old men and women.

Design: Cross-sectional population based study.

Setting: Stockholm County, Sweden.

Subjects: Sixty-year-old men and women (n=4232).

Results: Moderate intake of wine (10–30 g/day) was associated with a lifestyle characterized by being married, having a university education, being employed, being Swedish-born, having a good quality of life according to economy, leisure time and health, compared with a group with low alcohol intake. The opposite characteristics were seen among the non-drinkers. Drinkers of spirits were more often smokers and also reported higher intake of sausage and fried potatoes compared with a group with low alcohol intake. In women, the metabolic syndrome was significantly more common in non-drinkers (20%), P<0.05, and less common among wine drinkers (8%), P<0.01, compared with a group with low alcohol intake. After adjustments, a significant lower odds ratio for the metabolic syndrome were seen in wine drinkers in women (OR=0.60, P<0.05).

Conclusion: Compared with low alcohol drinkers, moderate wine drinkers exhibited a more favorable pattern according to both lifestyle factors and metabolic parameters. The close link between alcohol drinking behaviour and lifestyle habits illustrate the complex relationship between alcohol and health.

Sponsorship: Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, the Stockholm City County Council, the Swedish Society for Medicine, and the Swedish Medical Research Council.