Drinking Alcohol Could Reduce Diabetes Risk?

Grab the corkscrew... pour yourself a glass of wine... sit back and relax as your diabetes risk is cut by 30%?

According to new Danish research, drinking 7 units per week over a few days shows the lowerest risk of developing any type of diabetes. Plus, the researchers also found no clear link between binge drinking and an increased risk of diabetes. However...

...It sounded too good to be true to me. And once you dig into the data, you will find evidence that causes a pause for thought. In fact, it's not just the outrageous claims some have made out of this study. The problem is the study because of the type of research conducted.

The researchers, led by Prof Janne Tolstrup from the University of Southern Denmark, looked at more than 70,000 people. They completed a survey about their health and lifestyle. Then, the participants were analysed four years later to see if any had been diagnosed with diabetes.

In other words, this type of research is limp. Surveys are problematic. Even when scientists adjust for known issues. Also, the survey was only conducted once and the time elapsed is short, therefore, no real significance can be measured. Plus, the authors of the study did not distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes (two very different diseases with different causes). So, while the idea behind the headlines is intriguing, we should not take them as truth.

Finally, it is possible that one or two drinks a day with a few days abstinence could be beneficial to your health. But we do not know for sure. Nevertheless, I'll be enjoying a glass of red with my dinner tonight.