Moderate Alcohol Intake and Cardiometabolic Risk in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Richard Saitz, Timothy Naimi
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Letters5 July 2016Moderate Alcohol Intake and Cardiometabolic Risk in Adults With Type 2 DiabetesRichard Saitz, MD, MPH and Timothy Naimi, MD, MPHRichard Saitz, MD, MPHFrom Boston University School of Public Health, School of Medicine, and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this author and Timothy Naimi, MD, MPHFrom Boston University School of Public Health, School of Medicine, and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L16-5012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We applaud Gepner and colleagues (1) for recognizing that observational studies of the purported health benefits of alcohol consumption are questionable. However, the authors conclude in the abstract and text that initiating “moderate wine intake” and “moderate alcohol consumption,” respectively, are “apparently safe.” They also conclude that “potential risks” should be weighed against benefits.Given that alcohol is a group 1 carcinogen (the same category as plutonium and tobacco) (2), we find it inappropriate to conclude safety from even a 2-year trial. In fact, we wonder whether any other carcinogenic substance would be concluded to be safe ...References1. Gepner Y, Golan R, Harman-Boehm I, Henkin Y, Schwarzfuchs D, Shelef I, et al. Effects of initiating moderate alcohol intake on cardiometabolic risk in adults with type 2 diabetes: a 2-year randomized, controlled Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2015;163:569-79. [PMID: 26458258]. doi:10.7326/M14-1650 LinkGoogle Scholar2. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Agents classified by the IARC Monographs, volumes 1–112. 2015. Accessed at http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/index.php on 8 November 2015. Google Scholar3. Chen L, Smith GD, Harbord RM, Lewis SJ. Alcohol intake and blood pressure: a systematic review implementing a Mendelian randomization approach. PLoS Med. 2008;5:e52. [PMID: 18318597] doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050052 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Corrao G, Bagnardi V, Zambon A, La Vecchia C. A meta-analysis of alcohol consumption and the risk of 15 diseases. Prev Med. 2004;38:613-9. [PMID: 15066364] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Saitz R. Alcohol: no ordinary health risk. Addiction. 2015;110:1228-9. [PMID: 26173155] doi:10.1111/add.12979 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Boston University School of Public Health, School of Medicine, and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L16-0012. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEffects of Initiating Moderate Alcohol Intake on Cardiometabolic Risk in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Yftach Gepner , Rachel Golan , Ilana Harman-Boehm , Yaakov Henkin , Dan Schwarzfuchs , Ilan Shelef , Ronen Durst , Julia Kovsan , Arkady Bolotin , Eran Leitersdorf , Shoshana Shpitzen , Shai Balag , Elad Shemesh , Shula Witkow , Osnat Tangi-Rosental , Yoash Chassidim , Idit F. Liberty , Benjamin Sarusi , Sivan Ben-Avraham , Anders Helander , Uta Ceglarek , Michael Stumvoll , Matthias Blüher , Joachim Thiery , Assaf Rudich , Meir J. Stampfer , and Iris Shai Moderate Alcohol Intake and Cardiometabolic Risk in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Douglas G. Altman Moderate Alcohol Intake and Cardiometabolic Risk in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Alain Braillon Moderate Alcohol Intake and Cardiometabolic Risk in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Douglas G. Altman Moderate Alcohol Intake and Cardiometabolic Risk in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Alain Braillon Metrics 5 July 2016Volume 165, Issue 1Page: 67KeywordsAlcohol consumptionAlcoholsCarcinogensDisclosureLiver diseasesNutritionObservational studiesSafetyType 2 diabetesWine ePublished: 5 July 2016 Issue Published: 5 July 2016 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2016 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...