Does Moderate Alcohol Consumption Reduce Microvascular Complications of Type 1 Diabetes?
Epidemiologic studies have shown that people with diabetes who drink moderately are at a much lower risk of macrovascular complications such as heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. This study investigated the cross-sectional association between moderate alcohol consumption and risk of microvascular complications, including retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy, in 1857 patients with type 1 diabetes. The authors documented 304 cases of proliferative retinopathy, 660 cases of neuropathy, and 157 cases of nephropathy (macroalbuminuria >200 μg/min) among patients in the study sample. • Alcohol consumption was associated with risk of microvascular complications in a U-shaped fashion: • Moderate consumers (30–70 g per week) had a lower risk for proliferative retinopathy (odds ratio [OR], 0.60), neuropathy (OR, 0.61), and macroalbuminuria (OR, 0.36) in multivariable adjusted models. • Drinking frequency was significantly inversely associated with risk of neuropathy, with
