Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with lower glycated hemoglobin

On the one hand, moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages has been associated with a lower risk of diabetes, on the other hand, the results of the current study suggest that excessive drinking decreases the HbA1c level and might thus interfere with the diagnosis of diabetes and pre diabetes.

Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a measure to identify the three-month average plasma glucose concentration and is used for the diagnosis of pre-diabetes and diabetes. Since few studies have investigated the clinical significance of alcohol intake on the HbA1c level, Korean researchers investigated this association in 12,923 participants of the 2011-2013 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Overall, a higher intake of alcoholic beverages was associated with lower HbA1c levels, even after adjusting for confounding factors. These results suggest that excessive drinking shifts the HbA1c level downward, which might complicate use of the HbA1c level for the diagnosis of diabetes or prediabetes.

Hong JW, Noh JH, Kim DJ. Association between Alcohol Intake and Hemoglobin A1c in the Korean Adults: The 2011-2013 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. PLoS One. 2016;11(11):e0167210.

For more information about this article, read the scientific abstract here.