Binge drinking in teens may up Type 2 diabetes risk among women

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Washington DC: A new study has found that binge drinking as a teenager may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women.

The finding found that regular high alcohol consumption from the age of 16 is associated with higher glucose concentration in women’s blood, an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes, later in life.

This study is the first to assess alcohol consumption data, starting in adolescence, over a 27 year period, in relation to their blood glucose levels taken when they were 43 years of age.

In women, total alcohol consumption and binge drinking behaviour throughout the 27 year period was significantly associated with higher blood glucose levels independent of BMI, hypertension and smoking status at age 43. This association was not true for men, for whom only BMI and hypertension remained associated with increased blood glucose levels.

“Our findings show that high alcohol consumption from ages 16 to 43 is associated with higher blood glucose levels in women but not in men. Because higher blood glucose is a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes, our data suggest that informing people about the risk of high alcohol consumption at a young age could have positive health impacts further down the line,”said Dr Karina Nygren, lead author from Umea University, Sweden.

Despite the association between alcohol, binge drinking and blood glucose only being significant in women, men still had higher blood glucose levels than women and consumed nearly 3 times as much alcohol between ages 16 and 43. Previous studies suggest possible mechanisms for the association between alcohol and elevated blood glucose.

“Although there are some biological explanations behind why alcohol can directly lead to increased levels of glucose in the blood, the difference between men and women in our study is more difficult to explain,” said Dr Nygren.

Data included in this study come from the Northern Swedish Cohort study which began in 1981. A total of 897 people from this study answered a questionnaire about alcohol consumption when they were 16, 18, 21, 30 and 43 years old. At age 43 a blood sample was taken from each person to assess blood glucose levels. The questionnaire involved eight questions about alcohol consumption including questions such as “how often do you drink alcohol?” and “how much do you drink at each occasion?”.

(With ANI inputs)