BACKGROUND: Multiple studies have independently investigated the associations of the consumption of individual beverage types and specific plasma biomarkers with the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, as individuals do not consume single beverage types exclusively and plasma biomarkers do not act in isolation, it remains unclear how patterns of beverage consumption and plasma biomarker networks associate both with each other and T2D risk. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to elucidate potential dietary determinants of T2D risk by defining a model that describes habitual beverage consumption profiles in relation to identified networks of circulating plasma biomarkers.
METHODS: This study included 1,461 case and 1,568 control participants from case-control studies of T2D nested within the Nurses' Health Study.
Participants completed validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires that assessed habitual beverage consumption, and they provided blood samples from which 27 plasma biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk were identified. Common exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified factors that separately described beverage consumption profiles and biomarker networks. Multivariable-adjusted regression elucidated the relationships between beverage and biomarker factors and T2D risk. RESULTS: EFA revealed five factors describing unique beverage consumption profiles and seven factors describing biomarker networks. The factor describing alcoholic beverage consumption was associated with a reduced risk of T2D (odds ratio [OR]: 0.50 [0.40, 0.64], P<0.001) mediated, in part, by the factor describing increased concentrations of adiponectin biomarkers (19.9% [12.0, 31.1] P = 0.004).
The factor describing low-calorie sweetened beverage (LCSBs) consumption was associated with an increased risk of T2D (OR: 1.33 [1.03, 1.72], P = 0.021), and the factor describing lower concentrations of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins 1 and 2, and soluble leptin receptor, and increased leptin concentrations (P = 0.005).
CONCLUSIONS: Moderate alcohol consumption was associated with reduced T2D risk, mediated in part by increased circulating adiponectin. LCSB consumption was associated with both increased T2D risk and perturbed insulin-like growth factor and leptin signaling.
Alcohol consumption ranging from 1-2 drinks/day associates with a lower risk of coronary heart disease in some studies.
The underlying mechanisms are unclear. The Metabolic Imprints of Alcoholic Beverages (MetAl) trial aimed to explore the short-term effects of moderate alcohol consumption on cardiovascular biomarkers. A 2 x 3-week cross-over single-blinded intervention trial investigating the effect of 1-2 drinks/day (~12-24 g) compared with abstention on (1)H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-measured main lipoproteins and subfractions was performed in 26 healthy adults.
Volunteers were classified as occasional or habitual drinkers based on their habitual alcohol intakes (/=2 drinks/week).
Compared with abstention, 1-2 drinks/day increased HDL(2a)-C (p = 0.004), HDL(3)-C (p = 0.008), and HDL non-significantly (p = 0.19).
Total apoA1 and apoA1 in HDL and its subfractions increased (p < 0.05). Novel findings were a decreased apoB/apoA1 ratio (p = 0.02), and increased HDL(2a) phospholipid content (p = 0.04). In women alone, the results were similar but attenuated, and LDL-P decreased. Thus, changes in apoA1- and HDL-related biomarkers occur within weeks in moderate drinkers. Compared with abstention, 1-2 drinks/day increased total apoA1 more strongly than HDL-C and increased the cholesterol, apoA1, and phospholipid content of several HDL subfractions.
Whether this provides a cardiovascular benefit requires further study. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03384147.
Alcohol consumption ranging from 1-2 drinks/day associates with a lower risk of coronary heart disease in some studies.
The underlying mechanisms are unclear. The Metabolic Imprints of Alcoholic Beverages (MetAl) trial aimed to explore the short-term effects of moderate alcohol consumption on cardiovascular biomarkers. A 2 x 3-week cross-over single-blinded intervention trial investigating the effect of 1-2 drinks/day (~12-24 g) compared with abstention on (1)H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-measured main lipoproteins and subfractions was performed in 26 healthy adults. Volunteers were classified as occasional or habitual drinkers based on their habitual alcohol intakes (/=2 drinks/week).
Compared with abstention, 1-2 drinks/day increased HDL(2a)-C (p = 0.004), HDL(3)-C (p = 0.008), and HDL non-significantly (p = 0.19). Total apoA1 and apoA1 in HDL and its subfractions increased (p < 0.05).
Novel findings were a decreased apoB/apoA1 ratio (p = 0.02), and increased HDL(2a) phospholipid content (p = 0.04). In women alone, the results were similar but attenuated, and LDL-P decreased.
Thus, changes in apoA1- and HDL-related biomarkers occur within weeks in moderate drinkers. Compared with abstention, 1-2 drinks/day increased total apoA1 more strongly than HDL-C and increased the cholesterol, apoA1, and phospholipid content of several HDL subfractions. Whether this provides a cardiovascular benefit requires further study. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03384147.
Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and is interrelated to stroke, heart attack, and heart failure. The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) has been closely associated with reduced CVD morbidity and mortality, but research is not well explored for this relationship in individuals with diabetes (who experience greater CVD morbidity and mortality than individuals without diabetes). The aim of this review was to explore the literature related to the MedDiet and atherosclerosis and associated risk factors in individuals with and without diabetes. In total, 570 articles were identified, and 36 articles were included. The articles were published between 2011 and 2021. Platforms used for the search were PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest. Our literature search included clinical and observational studies. Clinical studies revealed the MedDiet was associated with improved biomarkers, plaque, and anthropometric measurements that are associated with atherosclerosis and CVD. Observational studies identified associations between the MedDiet and lower presence of atherosclerosis, improved vascular aging, and increased endothelial progenitor cells. However, most of the studies took place in Mediterranean countries. Further research is needed to better understand the long-term effects the MedDiet on atherosclerosis and its associated risk factors in diverse populations to include individuals with and without diabetes.