U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Northeast Area Beltsville, Maryland (BHNRC) Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center Food Components and Health Laboratory Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Davies, Michaelitem
                                            Baer, Daviditem
                                            Judd, Josephitem
                                            BROWN, ELLEN - JOHNS HOPKINSitem
                                            CAMPBELL, WILLIAM - NCI-DHHSitem
                                            TAYLOR, PHILIP - NCI-DHHS
  Submitted to: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2002
                                    Publication  Date: 5/15/2002
                                    Citation: Davies, M.J., Baer, D.J., Judd, J.T., Brown, E., Campbell, W.S., Taylor, P.R. 2002. Effect of chronic moderate  alcohol intake on fasting insulin and glucose  concentrations and insulin sensitivity in postmenopausal women: a diet-    controlled intervention study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.Interpretive Summary: Moderate alcohol consumption (1 to 2 drinks per day) is associated with certain health benefits in various population studies.  It was noted that individuals who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol have reduced insulin and triglyceride concentrations and increased HDL-cholesterol.  There have been no clinical trials evaluating the effects of moderate alcohol  consumption on fasting insulin concentrations and insulin sensitivity. Therefore, we addressed whether chronic consumption of low to moderate amounts of alcohol influences fasting glucose and insulin and insulin sensitivity in non-diabetic, postmenopausal women who were not on hormone replacement therapy.  Fifty-one women were assigned to consume one alcoholic drink per day, two alcoholic drinks per day and a non-alcoholic beverage for 8 weeks each as part of a controlled diet.  Blood was collected at the end of each diet period and used to measure glucose and  insulin concentrations, which were used to assess insulin sensitivity via two different indices.  We found that consumption of two alcoholic drinks per day compared to the non-alcoholic beverage significantly reduced fasting insulin concentration and increased insulin sensitivity.  Fasting insulin concentration and insulin sensitivity were not different after consumption of one alcoholic per day compared to non-alcoholic beverage. Fasting glucose concentration was not affected by alcohol consumption. Similar results were found after controlling for baseline body mass index, which is associated with fasting insulin concentrations and insulin sensitivity.  This is the first controlled study to report that moderate alcohol consumption reduced fasting plasma insulin concentrations and enhanced insulin sensitivity in non-diabetic, postmenopausal women.
                                Technical Abstract: Reduced fasting insulin and improved insulin sensitivity are associated with moderate alcohol intake in cross-sectional studies.  These changes may be related to the improved lipid profile associated with moderate alcohol intake and cardioprotective effects of alcohol.  No controlled- feeding studies have addressed effects of chronic alcohol consumption on  fasting insulin and glucose and insulin sensitivity.  We examined whether chronic consumption of 1 or 2 alcohol drinks/d influenced glucose and insulin in non-diabetic, post-menopausal women, not on hormone replacement therapy.  51 women were assigned to consume either 15g alcohol/d, 30g alcohol/d or no alcohol for 8-wk as part of a controlled diet in a randomized crossover design.  All foods and beverages were provided and energy intake was adjusted to maintain constant body weight.  Serum was collected from fasted volunteers on three separate days at the end of each  dietary period and pooled.  Insulin, glucose, or triglycerides were used to assess insulin sensitivity via different indices.  Fasting insulin and glucose, and insulin sensitivity were compared among treatments with and without controlling for differences in baseline BMI.  Consumption of 30 g alcohol/d compared to placebo significantly reduced fasting insulin and increased insulin sensitivity.  Fasting insulin and insulin sensitivity were not different after consumption of 15 g alcohol/d compared to placebo.  Fasting glucose was not different across treatments.  Similar results were obtained after controlling for differences in baseline BMI, except for one index of insulin sensitivity.  These data demonstrate that chronic consumption of 2 alcoholic drinks per day reduces fasting insulin and improves insulin sensitivity.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov