Is There a Link between Different Types of Alcoholic Drinks and Obesity? An Analysis of 280,183 UK Biobank Participants - PubMed (original) (raw)

Elif Inan-Eroglu et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020.

Abstract

Understanding the associations between types of alcoholic drinks and adiposity has public health relevance, considering that adult overweight and obesity prevalence are increasing worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the association between overall alcohol consumption and types of alcohol drinks with markers of adiposity from the UK Biobank baseline data (n = 280,183, 48.3% female). Generalized linear models were used to examine the associations between alcohol consumption with body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage. Those drinking within the public health guidelines had a lower BMI by 1.34 kg/m2 (95% CI 1.42, 1.26 kg/m2) compared to never drinkers. Association between alcohol consumption and body fat percentage were not statistically significant. Compared to those who never drink wines (red wine, champagne and fortified wine), drinkers of these alcoholic beverages had lower BMI (difference of -0.75 kg/m2, 95% CI -0.78, -0.72 kg/m2; -0.48 kg/m2, 95% CI -0.52, -0.45 kg/m2; and -0.24 kg/m2, 95% CI -0.29, -0.18 kg/m2, respectively). Beer and spirits drinkers had higher BMI compared to never drinkers of beer and spirits (difference of 0.18 kg/m2, 95% CI 0.14, 0.22 kg/m2 and 0.64 kg/m2, 95% CI 0.61, 0.68 kg/m2, respectively). Our data did not find a link between alcohol drinking and higher risk of obesity.

Keywords: adiposity; adults; alcohol; alcoholic drinks; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

(A–C) Multivariable-adjusted dose–response association of alcoholic beverage types and BMI in the UK Biobank. The BMI coefficient displays the mean difference between the reference category (no consumption in last week) and the other consumption categories. The model is adjusted for age, sex, overall alcohol consumption, smoking status, sleep (h/night), sedentary behavior (h/day), illness (major cardiovascular disease or cancer), physical activity, Townsend deprivation index and daily fruit and vegetable consumption for the total sample. The model is adjusted for age, overall alcohol consumption, smoking status, sleep (h/night), sedentary behavior (h/day), illness (major cardiovascular disease or cancer), physical activity, Townsend deprivation index and daily fruit and vegetable consumption for each sex. Individuals who did not report consumption of the alcoholic beverage type in the week prior to measurement were considered non-drinkers. Low consumption was defined as less than or equal to the median for the alcoholic beverage type, and high consumption was defined as greater than the median for the alcoholic beverage type. The number of participants in each alcohol consumption category (i.e., non-drinker, low or high) included in the analysis is shown below each figure.

Figure 1

Figure 1

(A–C) Multivariable-adjusted dose–response association of alcoholic beverage types and BMI in the UK Biobank. The BMI coefficient displays the mean difference between the reference category (no consumption in last week) and the other consumption categories. The model is adjusted for age, sex, overall alcohol consumption, smoking status, sleep (h/night), sedentary behavior (h/day), illness (major cardiovascular disease or cancer), physical activity, Townsend deprivation index and daily fruit and vegetable consumption for the total sample. The model is adjusted for age, overall alcohol consumption, smoking status, sleep (h/night), sedentary behavior (h/day), illness (major cardiovascular disease or cancer), physical activity, Townsend deprivation index and daily fruit and vegetable consumption for each sex. Individuals who did not report consumption of the alcoholic beverage type in the week prior to measurement were considered non-drinkers. Low consumption was defined as less than or equal to the median for the alcoholic beverage type, and high consumption was defined as greater than the median for the alcoholic beverage type. The number of participants in each alcohol consumption category (i.e., non-drinker, low or high) included in the analysis is shown below each figure.

Figure 1

Figure 1

(A–C) Multivariable-adjusted dose–response association of alcoholic beverage types and BMI in the UK Biobank. The BMI coefficient displays the mean difference between the reference category (no consumption in last week) and the other consumption categories. The model is adjusted for age, sex, overall alcohol consumption, smoking status, sleep (h/night), sedentary behavior (h/day), illness (major cardiovascular disease or cancer), physical activity, Townsend deprivation index and daily fruit and vegetable consumption for the total sample. The model is adjusted for age, overall alcohol consumption, smoking status, sleep (h/night), sedentary behavior (h/day), illness (major cardiovascular disease or cancer), physical activity, Townsend deprivation index and daily fruit and vegetable consumption for each sex. Individuals who did not report consumption of the alcoholic beverage type in the week prior to measurement were considered non-drinkers. Low consumption was defined as less than or equal to the median for the alcoholic beverage type, and high consumption was defined as greater than the median for the alcoholic beverage type. The number of participants in each alcohol consumption category (i.e., non-drinker, low or high) included in the analysis is shown below each figure.

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