Relationship between alcohol intake and lipid accumulation product in middle-aged men.

AIMS Lipid accumulation product (LAP), defined as a product of waist circumference and triglycerides, has recently been proposed as a predictor of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study was to determine whether and how LAP is associated with alcohol drinking. METHODS Subjects were 21,378 men aged 35-60 years and they were divided by alcohol intake into non-, light (<22 g ethanol/day), heavy (≥22 and <44 g ethanol/day) and very heavy (≥44 g ethanol/day) drinkers. Relationships between alcohol intake and LAP were analyzed by using multivariate analyses with adjustment for age, smoking and habitual exercise. RESULTS Log-transformed LAP levels in light drinkers and very heavy drinkers were significantly (P < 0.01) lower and higher, respectively, than the level in non-drinkers, and the levels were comparable in non- and heavy drinkers (non-drinkers, 1.335 ± 0.005; light drinkers, 1.290 ± 0.009; heavy drinkers, 1.348 ± 0.005 and very heavy drinkers, 1.414 ± 0.006). The inverse association of alcohol intake with LAP was more prominent in smokers and subjects without regular exercise than in non-smokers and subjects with regular exercise, respectively, while the positive association of alcohol with LAP was more prominent in non-smokers than in smokers. Odds ratio for hyperglycemia of subjects with vs. subjects without high LAP was significantly higher than a reference level of 1.00, and this association was not different among the four alcohol groups. CONCLUSION There is a J-shaped relationship between alcohol intake and LAP, which is confounded by smoking and habitual exercise.