Can moderate consumption of alcohol reduce diabetes risk? Researchers say yes!

(Representational image)

New Delhi: The discourse on the negative effects of alcohol on health is a long-standing, never-ending one. Therefore, it always comes as a surprise when studies emphasise the positives of alcohol intake.

Although, the ill-effects of alcohol far outweigh the positives, a study carried out by Danish researchers has said that moderate consumption of alcohol poses a lower risk of developing diabetes in comparison with people who don't drink at all.

According to the study, published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, wine appears to be particularly beneficial, probably as it plays a role in managing blood sugar, BBC reported.

Researchers surveyed more than 70,000 people on their alcohol intake – how much and how often they drank.

However, they said that this wasn't a 'go-ahead' for people to drink more than the recommended amount.

As per BBC, Prof Janne Tolstrup, from the National Institute of Public Health of the University of Southern Denmark, who led the research, said: "We found that drinking frequency has an independent effect from the amount of alcohol taken.

"We can see it's a better effect to drink the alcohol in four portions rather than all at once."

After around five years, study participants were followed up and a total of 859 men and 887 women group had developed diabetes – either type 1 or the more common type 2.

The researchers concluded that drinking moderately three to four times a week reduced a woman's risk of diabetes by 32% while it lowered a man's by 27%, compared with people drinking on less than one day a week.

Past studies consistently showed that light to moderate drinking carried a lower risk of diabetes compared to sobriety, while heavy drinking had an equal or greater risk.

Though the World Health Organization reports "harmful use of alcohol" contributes to more than 200 diseases and injuries, it also acknowledges that light to moderate drinking may be beneficial with respect to diabetes, CNN said.