
Drinking most days may protect against diabetes - new study
Drinking alcohol most days of the week significantly protects against developing diabetes, a new study suggests.
Data from more than 70,000 drinkers found that having a drink on three or four days per week was associated with a reduced risk of 27 per cent in men and 32 per cent in women, compared with abstaining.
Wine had the biggest effect, with scientists suggesting that its chemical compounds improve blood-sugar balance.
However, researchers have warned women to stay clear of gin and other spirits, which were associated with an increased of diabetes for women by 83 per cent.
Our findings suggest that alcohol drinking frequency is associated with the risk of diabetesProfessor Janne Tolstrup, University of Southern Denmark
Previous studies had already suggested that light to moderate alcohol consumption can cut the risk of diabetes, but the new research is the first to focus on drinking frequency.
Scientists studied data on 70,551 men and women taking part in a large Danish health survey who were quizzed about their drinking habits and monitored for five years.
The authors, led by Professor Janne Tolstrup from the University of Southern Denmark, who said: "Our findings suggest that alcohol drinking frequency is associated with the risk of diabetes and that consumption of alcohol over three to four weekdays is associated with the lowest risks of diabetes, even after taking average weekly alcohol consumption into account."
During the follow-up period, a total of 859 men and 887 women from the study group developed diabetes.
The investigation did not distinguish between the t
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