Alcohol and Type 2 Diabetes

Medscape reports on an findings from the Cardiovascular Diabetes and Ethanol trial out of Israel. 224 patients with controlled type 2 diabetes were instructed to drink 150ml (equal to a 5 ounce glass) daily of either white wine, red wine, or mineral water depending on the group to which they were assigned. They were also instructed to follow a Mediterranean diet. After a two year period, those who were drinking red wine showed an improvement in their high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL--the good cholesterol) and apolipoprotien (a) (also good). White wine did not have beneficial effects on blood lipids. However white wine did lower fasting plasma glucose level more so than in the water group or the red wine group. All three groups experienced a mild reduction in body weight and wast circumference. This was most likely due to the diet and being in the study itself, rather than the alcohol or water.