Moderate Drinkers Less Likely to Develop Diabetes

Moderate drinking appears to be associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A decade-long observational study of more than 35,000 Dutch people found that individuals who usually had one or two alcoholic drinks a day were 45 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than teetotalers. Moderate drinkers in this study had generally healthy lifestyles in other respects, but the investigators said that even non-drinkers with equally healthy lifestyles had a higher risk of coming down with metabolic condition. The researchers say their data does not show that moderate drinking is preventive, but that moderate drinking can be part of a healthy lifestyle. They caution that those who do not drink now should not start. The risks of possible alcohol abuse would far outweigh the potential benefits of a drink a day.
[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online April 21, 2010]