A fascinating study from Denmark on the effects of alcohol on diabetes.
A study conducted in Denmark has found that drinking alcohol most days of the week can potentially protect against developing diabetes.
The research study used a total of more than 70,000 men and women and found that drinking alcohol three or four days in the week reduced the risk of getting diabetes by 27% in men and 32% in women, compared to those who abstained.
Wine was found to have a better effect than beer and this was believed to be down to the fact that it contains chemical compounds that improve blood sugar balance.
Although wine and beer got the all clear, the scientists did say for women to stay away from anything spirit related as it increased the diabetes risk in women by 83%
Studies in the past have shown that there is a correlation between moderate alcohol consumption and reducing the risk of diabetes.
However, the Danish research is the first of its kind to focus on drinking ‘frequency’.
Those who took part were quizzed about their drinking patterns in 2012 and were then monitored for the next five years.
During the follow-up period, 859 men and 887 women developed diabetes within those five years.
Men who drank 14 drinks per week were 43% less likely to develop the disease than those who drank nothing at all while women who consumed nine drinks per week were 58% less likely to get diabetes than non-drinkers.
For both genders, drinking seven or more glasses of wine per week lowered the overall risk of diabetes by 25% t0 30% compared to those who just had one drink of wine per week.
One to six beers per week reduced diabetes risk by 21% in men but had no effect on women.
Although focused on the subject of diabetes, the study did not distinguish between the two forms, Type 1 and the more common Type 2, in the study.
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