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CNN Live At Daybreak
Good News for Women Who Like to Have Glass of Wine at End of Day
Aired June 10, 2003 - 06:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: There is good news for women who like to have a glass of wine at the end of the day. A new study in the "Archives of Internal Medicine" says it may lower your risk of getting diabetes.
Dr. Sandra Fryhofer is here to give us details.
So, having a drink can prevent diabetes?
DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a little bit of celebrating is OK, but just not too much, because this study found that light to moderate drinking in young women was associated with a lower risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes as compared to non-drinkers. This study, which is Phase 2 of the Nurses Health Study, comes from researchers at Harvard and looked at over 100,000 healthy young women aged 25 to 42, followed them for 10 years and took note of their lifestyle factors, including alcohol use.
In this study, a drink was defined as a can of beer, a glass of wine or a shot of liquor. And after 10 years of follow-up, they found that the amount of alcohol consumed was important and compared to teetotalers, women who had about half a drink, up to two drinks per day, were less likely to developing Type 2 Diabetes. This is often called Adult Onset Diabetes.
Women who drank half to one drink per day decreased their risk by a third. Women who drank one to two drinks per day decreased their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 58 percent, almost two thirds.
The type of alcohol also seemed to matter. The risk reduction was most apparent in women who drank beer or wine. And, in fact, drinking over 30 grams of liquor, which is about two drinks, increased the risk of getting diabetes about two and a half times, as compared to the non-drinkers.
COSTELLO: Very interesting. But the study looked at people who might get Type 2 Diabetes, not Type 1. I don't think many people realize there is a big difference.
FRYHOFER: Right. This was looking at Type 2 Diabetes. And Type 1 is the most serious and occurs when the body doesn't produce any insulin. People with Type 1 Diabetes have to take insulin shots.
Type 2 is the most common and accounts for up to 95 percent of cases of diabetes. It occurs when the body can't make enough insulin or can't use it properly. This is sometimes called insulin resistance. And it seems that light to moderate alcohol intake can make the body more sensitive to insulin and that could possibly explain the findings in this study.
Moderation is important, however, because heavy drinking is actually a risk factor for developing Type 2 Diabetes.
COSTELLO: Well, another risk factor is gaining weight. That can bring on Type 2 Diabetes. So if you drank a glass of wine each day, does it negate the weight gain factor?
FRYHOFER: Well, that's a good point, Carol. And so we're not telling people that they should start drinking just for this reason. There are better ways to lower your risk of diabetes, like diet and exercise. And you can prevent the onset of Type 2 Diabetes up to 58 percent through lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise, and reducing your weight five to 10 percent and exercising just 30 minutes a day can cut your risk of getting diabetes in half.
And don't forget the down sides of alcohol. As you said, too much alcohol can pack on the pounds. It can also raise blood pressure. And for women, drinking more than two drinks per day can actually increase your risk of getting breast cancer by as much as 30 percent.
You notice how I'll always slide the exercise in there?
COSTELLO: Yes. It's so much easier to drink a glass of wine than 30 minutes of exercise, though.
FRYHOFER: Just think of all the people walking on the treadmill. Now, go, go.
COSTELLO: Oh, I hope so.
FRYHOFER: Faster, faster.
COSTELLO: We're proud of you out there.
FRYHOFER: We are.
COSTELLO: Those of you who are exercising.
Thanks so much, Dr. Fryhofer.
FRYHOFER: All right.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
of Day>
Aired June 10, 2003 - 06:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: There is good news for women who like to have a glass of wine at the end of the day. A new study in the "Archives of Internal Medicine" says it may lower your risk of getting diabetes.
Dr. Sandra Fryhofer is here to give us details.
So, having a drink can prevent diabetes?
DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a little bit of celebrating is OK, but just not too much, because this study found that light to moderate drinking in young women was associated with a lower risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes as compared to non-drinkers. This study, which is Phase 2 of the Nurses Health Study, comes from researchers at Harvard and looked at over 100,000 healthy young women aged 25 to 42, followed them for 10 years and took note of their lifestyle factors, including alcohol use.
In this study, a drink was defined as a can of beer, a glass of wine or a shot of liquor. And after 10 years of follow-up, they found that the amount of alcohol consumed was important and compared to teetotalers, women who had about half a drink, up to two drinks per day, were less likely to developing Type 2 Diabetes. This is often called Adult Onset Diabetes.
Women who drank half to one drink per day decreased their risk by a third. Women who drank one to two drinks per day decreased their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 58 percent, almost two thirds.
The type of alcohol also seemed to matter. The risk reduction was most apparent in women who drank beer or wine. And, in fact, drinking over 30 grams of liquor, which is about two drinks, increased the risk of getting diabetes about two and a half times, as compared to the non-drinkers.
COSTELLO: Very interesting. But the study looked at people who might get Type 2 Diabetes, not Type 1. I don't think many people realize there is a big difference.
FRYHOFER: Right. This was looking at Type 2 Diabetes. And Type 1 is the most serious and occurs when the body doesn't produce any insulin. People with Type 1 Diabetes have to take insulin shots.
Type 2 is the most common and accounts for up to 95 percent of cases of diabetes. It occurs when the body can't make enough insulin or can't use it properly. This is sometimes called insulin resistance. And it seems that light to moderate alcohol intake can make the body more sensitive to insulin and that could possibly explain the findings in this study.
Moderation is important, however, because heavy drinking is actually a risk factor for developing Type 2 Diabetes.
COSTELLO: Well, another risk factor is gaining weight. That can bring on Type 2 Diabetes. So if you drank a glass of wine each day, does it negate the weight gain factor?
FRYHOFER: Well, that's a good point, Carol. And so we're not telling people that they should start drinking just for this reason. There are better ways to lower your risk of diabetes, like diet and exercise. And you can prevent the onset of Type 2 Diabetes up to 58 percent through lifestyle changes like weight loss and exercise, and reducing your weight five to 10 percent and exercising just 30 minutes a day can cut your risk of getting diabetes in half.
And don't forget the down sides of alcohol. As you said, too much alcohol can pack on the pounds. It can also raise blood pressure. And for women, drinking more than two drinks per day can actually increase your risk of getting breast cancer by as much as 30 percent.
You notice how I'll always slide the exercise in there?
COSTELLO: Yes. It's so much easier to drink a glass of wine than 30 minutes of exercise, though.
FRYHOFER: Just think of all the people walking on the treadmill. Now, go, go.
COSTELLO: Oh, I hope so.
FRYHOFER: Faster, faster.
COSTELLO: We're proud of you out there.
FRYHOFER: We are.
COSTELLO: Those of you who are exercising.
Thanks so much, Dr. Fryhofer.
FRYHOFER: All right.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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