Association of Alcohol Drinking Patterns with Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components in Korean Adults: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016–2018

This study examined the association of alcohol drinking patterns with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in a nationally representative sample of South Korean adults. The cross-sectional study included 12,830 current drinkers (6438 men and 6392 women) who were at least 20 years old. Measures of alcohol drinking patterns included average drinking frequency, usual quantity, and binge drinking frequency over the past year. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for MetS and its components according to alcohol drinking patterns, and also to examine linear trends in these relationships. The prevalence of MetS was 1822 (26.2%) in men and 1313 (17.5%) in women. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, drinking quantity and binge drinking frequency were positively associated with MetS in both sexes. Regarding components of MetS, while the risk of low HDL cholesterol decreased as drinking frequency increased, other MetS components (abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and impaired fasting glucose) worsened. Our results suggest that separate management of each component of MetS will be required to protect cardio-metabolic health, and a healthy drinking culture that refrains from binge drinking should be established in the context of public health.

Las otras dianas del trastorno por uso de alcohol: Afectaciones sistémicas derivadas del consumo excesivo de alcohol

Drinking alcohol is an established and normalised practice in our society, even though it can physically harm us. High-risk alcohol drinking patterns can increase the chance of negative consequences for the drinkers or their environment. The liver is by far the organ most affected by alcohol abuse; however, alcohol use disorder is a systemic disease which affects a wide range of organs and psychological processes. Other systems that can be affected by continued alcohol consumption include the immune, neurological, and cardiovascular systems. In addition, alcohol can lead to epigenetic alterations that may be transmitted from one generation to the next.

Risky Alcohol Drinking Pattern and Its Association with Educational Attainment and Wealth Index among Adult Men Population in Ethiopia: Further Analysis of 2016 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey

Risky alcohol drinking is one of the major public health problems and an important health risk factor for premature death and disability worldwide. Identifying the determinants of risky alcohol drinking patterns is crucial for developing and improving intervention on drinking behavior. In Ethiopia, the role of educational attainment and affluence in reducing risky alcohol drinking patterns among men remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the association of educational status and affluence with risky alcohol drinking patterns using national representative data in Ethiopia. Secondary data analysis was conducted on 12,688 adult men using data from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic Health Survey (EDHS). The dependent variable was a risky alcohol drinking pattern which is defined as the consumption of alcohol every day in the last 12 months before the interview. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to assess the association between educational attainment, Ethiopian standard wealth index, and risky alcohol drinking pattern, after adjusting for the potential confounders. The overall magnitude of risky alcohol drinking patterns among men in Ethiopia was 4.5% (95% CI: 3.4–5.9). Of the total men who had ever taken alcohol, 9.7% of men drink almost every day in the last 12 months. The odds of having a risky alcohol drinking pattern were lower among men who completed secondary education (AOR = 0.56 (0.329–0.961)) and men who completed higher education levels (AOR = 0.35 (0.164–0.765)) as compared to men who did not attend any formal education. Adult men in the top two wealth quintiles were twice more likely to have risky alcohol drinking patterns than those in the lowest wealth quintile (AOR = 2.13 (1.254–3.605)). This study showed that from the total adult male population, nearly 5% of Ethiopian men had risky drinking patterns. Individuals with low educational status and greater affluence engaged in high-risk alcohol consumption behavior.

Recent Perspectives on Sex Differences in Compulsion-Like and Binge Alcohol Drinking

Alcohol use disorder remains a substantial social, health, and economic problem and problem drinking levels in women have been increasing in recent years. Understanding whether and how the underlying mechanisms that drive drinking vary by sex is critical and could provide novel, more targeted therapeutic treatments. Here, we examine recent results from our laboratories and others which we believe provide useful insights into similarities and differences in alcohol drinking patterns across the sexes. Findings for binge intake and aversion-resistant, compulsion-like alcohol drinking are considered, since both are likely significant contributors to alcohol problems in humans. We also describe studies regarding mechanisms that may underlie sex differences in maladaptive alcohol drinking, with some focus on the importance of nucleus accumbens (NAcb) core and shell regions, several receptor types (dopamine, orexin, AMPA-type glutamate), and possible contributions of sex hormones. Finally, we discuss how stressors such as early life stress and anxiety-like states may interact with sex differences to contribute to alcohol drinking. Together, these findings underscore the importance and critical relevance of studying female and male mechanisms for alcohol and co-morbid conditions to gain a true and clinically useful understanding of addiction and neuropsychiatric mechanisms and treatment.

Alcohol Consumption Patterns: A Gender Comparative Study Among High School Youth in South Africa

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the alcohol drinking patterns among young male and female alcohol drinkers. METHOD: Data were collected though a questionnaire from 71 grade 11 learners who expressed that they had had an alcoholic drink in the preceding month. 62% of the respondents were male and the remaining 38% was represented by female learners. The data collected was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS). RESULTS: This study showed that young people begin using alcohol at a relatively young age. Furthermore, male drinkers have an earlier alcohol debut than their female counterparts. Beer, cider and wine were the most consumed beverages, with males more inclined to drink beer and females gravitating towards drinking wine. There was an even split between ciders in the study, with the majority of both male and female respondents indicating that their drink of choice was cider. Weekends are the most opportune moments for the youth to consume alcohol. Holidays are also earmarked by the youth to engage in alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION: The results show that the age of alcohol debut is as low as 8 years for males and 10 years for females. Males have a higher prevalence of alcohol use than females. There is however no difference in binge drinking between the two gender as binge drinking and drinking to get drunk are the preferred methods of alcohol consumption for both genders.