Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Increased alcohol intake is associated with several health disorders. However, its impact on body composition is still controversial and data regarding this subject in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are limited. We have shown that central obesity is associated with diabetes complications in T1D, and now, we investigated whether the alcohol consumption is associated with body fat distribution in adults with T1D from the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy (FinnDiane) Study cohort.

Methods: We included 548 individuals that had their body composition assessed by dual-energy-X-Ray absorptiometry and had answered the questionnaires regarding alcohol consumption during the FinnDiane visits. The amount of alcohol was converted into standard doses (1 dose=12 g of pure alcohol). Then, participants were divided into groups based on their alcohol consumption (dose/week) and the risk of health problems: abstainers, low risk (0.1-6.9 doses for women, 0.1-13.9 for men), moderate risk (7-15.9 for women, 14-23.9 for men) and high risk (≥16 for women, ≥24 for men). Percentages of body fat refers to total body weight. Central obesity was defined as having ≥0.7% of visceral fat for women and ≥1.1% for men, while general obesity was ≥40.4% of total body fat for women and ≥31.8% for men. Logistic regression models adjusted for confounders were used to study the associations between alcohol consumption, central and general obesity. Similar analysis was done using the groups of alcohol, considering abstainers as the reference group.

Results: From 548 individuals, 30% had general obesity and 47% central obesity. Median age was 42 (IQR 34-53) years, duration of diabetes was 25.4 (19.6-37.5) years and 40% were men. The high risk group had the highest visceral fat percentage [2.19 (0.93-2.48), P=0.002] and the lowest arms and legs fat percentage [12.2 (10.1-15.1), P=0.04]. Total body fat percentage did not differ between groups. Each dose increase of alcohol consumption increased the odds of central obesity [OR 1.03, P=0.03]. The high risk group was associated with increased odds of central obesity [OR 6.8, P=0.004) and general obesity [OR 5.1, P=0.008]. Low and moderate risk groups were not.

Conclusion: In adults with type 1 diabetes, each dose increase of alcohol consumption increases the odds of central obesity by 3%. A high risk consumption of alcohol is associated with both central and general obesity. Our results motivate further longitudinal studies to explore the relationship between alcohol consumption and body fat distribution, as well as its impact on diabetes complications.