Chronic Alcohol Consumption is Inversely Associated with Insulin Resistance and Fatty Liver in Japanese Males.

Takemi Akahane,Yuuki Tsuji,Koh Kitagawa,Hirotetsu Takagi,Hiroyuki Ogawa,Kei Moriya,Masanori Furukawa,Koji Ishida,Yukihisa Fujinaga,Takahiro Ozutsumi,Yasuhiko Sawada,Naotaka Shimozato,Hideto Kawaratani,Daisuke Kaya,Hiroaki Takaya,Tadashi Namisaki,Hitoshi Yoshiji,Kosuke Kaji

doi:10.3390/nu12041036

Abstract

We aimed to elucidate the effect of chronic alcohol consumption on fatty liver. We assessed the consumption of alcohol in 2429 Japanese males (mean age: 54.2 ± 9 years); they were classified according to average consumption into non-drinkers (ND), light drinkers (LD), moderate drinkers (MD), and heavy drinkers (HD). The prevalence of fatty liver was the lowest in the MD and highest in the ND group (p < 0.001), while obesity was not significantly different among the groups (p = 0.133). Elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were the lowest in the MD group (p = 0.011) along with resistance to insulin (homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)), which was highest in the ND group (p = 0.001). Chronic consumption of alcohol was independently and inversely associated with fatty liver and insulin resistance after adjusting for obesity, hypertension, fasting hyperglycemia, habit of drinking sweet beverages, physical activity, and age (odds ratios are as follows: ND, 1; LD, 0.682; MD, 0.771; HD, 0.840 and ND, 1; LD, 0.724; MD, 0.701; HD, 0.800, respectively). We found that regardless of the type of alcoholic beverage, chronic consumption of alcohol is inversely associated with insulin resistance and fatty liver in Japanese males. This study had limitations, most notably the lack of investigation into diet and nutrition.

Highlights

Alcohol liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of liver disease worldwide
The percentage of physical activity was higher in the light drinkers (LD) and moderate drinkers (MD) groups than those in the ND and heavy drinkers (HD) groups
This study showed that consumption of alcohol is inversely associated with insulin resistance and fatty liver

Summary

Introduction

Alcohol liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of liver disease worldwide. Excess alcohol consumption is reported to lead to ALD, and 90% percent of people consuming more than 60 g of alcohol per day have been shown to develop steatosis [1]. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is another etiological agent of hepatic steatosis. It should be noted that NAFLD has been strongly associated with obesity and has been considered a phenotype of the metabolic syndrome (Mets) in the liver [2,3,4,5]. Resistance to insulin has been implicated in the pathogenesis of NAFLD [5]. Recent studies have reported that light to moderate consumption of alcohol may be associated with lower cardiovascular mortality [6,7,8]

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