Alcohol consumption frequency or alcohol intake per drinking session: Which has a larger impact on the metabolic syndrome and its components?

Objectives: This study investigated the relationship between drinking behavior (alcohol consumption frequency, average alcohol intake per drinking session) and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components (central obesity, raised triglycerides, decreased HDL cholesterol, raised blood pressure, raised fasting plasma glucose) in Korean men and women above the age of 20. Methods: Our study employed data from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (KNHANES) for the years 2007–2013. The study population consisted of a total of 16,507 Korean males and 22,548 females; 30.0% (n = 4908) of all males and 29.8% (n = 6663) of all females were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Results: Relative to abstaining males, males who consumed alcohol more than 2–3 times per week (OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.04–1.66), as well as those who consumed more than 10 drinks per drinking session (OR: 1.71, 95% CI 1.41–2.08) had greatly increased odds risk of MetS. Alcohol consumption frequency was not associated with increased odds risk of MetS for females, however. Relative to abstaining females, females who consumed just 3–4 drinks per session had a 17% increased odds risk of MetS (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.02–1.35). Females consuming more than 10 drinks per drinking session (OR: 1.91, 95% CI 1.44–2.52) were likely to have a 91% increase in odds risk of MetS. For males, alcohol consumption frequency was associated with high blood pressure and high fasting plasma glucose levels, while average alcohol intake per drinking session was associated with central obesity, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, and high fasting plasma glucose. For females, alcohol intake per session was associated with central obesity, high triglycerides, raised blood pressure, and high fasting plasma glucose. Conclusions: Frequent alcohol consumption and high alcohol intake per drinking session were associated with higher prevalence of MetS and its components for Korean men; alcohol intake per drinking session only was associated with higher prevalence of MetS and its components for Korean women.