Association between metabolic syndrome and alcohol consumption: A cross-sectional study

Objective: To determine the association between metabolic syndrome and alcohol consumption, including drinking patterns and risk of harm. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 participants recruited from the Outpatient Unit of the Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University. Physical examination and blood tests were carried out to evaluate the presence of metabolic syndrome. The drinking patterns were stratified into four levels, which were abstinence, occasional drinking, light–moderate drinking, and heavy drinking (>40 gm/day). The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was used to evaluate the risk of harm from alcohol consumption. Results: The percentage of current drinkers was 27.3%, and most of them were men (87.2%). Waist circumference, triglyceride levels, and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher among those with a heavy drinking habit and harmful alcohol use/dependence. High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) showed different results. A J-shaped association was found between HDL-C and drinking pattern, but an inverse relationship was indicated with the risk of harm. Metabolic syndrome was found to be significantly associated with heavy drinking (OR=4.4, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.2–15.6, p-value 0.021) and the harmful use/dependent categories (OR=5.0, 95% CI 1.1–23.1, p-value 0.039). Conclusion: The results suggest that alcohol drinking tends to be associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome. This condition should be screened regularly especially in those with heavy drinking or at-risk drinking habits.