Effects of At-risk Drinking on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Mid-Life Men and Women

Introduction: Unhealthy, at-risk drinking patterns are associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the sex-specific increases in CVD risks factors associated with at-risk drinking patterns remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study is to compare cardiovascular risk factors, including body weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood glucose, between at-risk drinkers versus low-risk drinkers in mid-life men and women. METHOD: A total of 21 mid-life men and 40 postmenopausal women (age 50-64) were included in this study. All participants were non-smokers and free of history of major clinical diseases. All participants underwent a physical exam and fasting blood sampling to measure CVD risk factors including body weight (for calculating body mass index, BMI), blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose and insulin. Insulin resistance was measured using HOMA-IR (Homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance) calculated as insulin (µU/L) x glucose (nmol/L)/22.5. To classify drinking patterns, all participants completed the US Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (USAUDIT), and USAUDIT-C scores were calculated using the sum of the first three questions from USAUDIT. Participants then were classified as low-risk drinkers and at-risk drinkers (USADUIT-C score ≥8 for men and ≥7 for women). Results: About 33% of participants were classified as at-risk drinkers (8 men and 12 women). There was a significant interaction between drinking patterns and sex in blood glucose (P=0.03): in women, no difference was found between at-risk and low-risk drinkers (93±5 vs. 91±7, P=0.3), while in men, at-risk drinkers had a higher level of blood glucose compared with low-risk drinkers (105±5 vs. 94±5, p<0.001). Regardless of sex, at-risk drinkers had a higher blood pressure (systolic: 130±11 vs. 115±13 mmHg, p<0.001; diastolic: 82±10 vs. 72±8 mmHg, p<0.001), a higher level of insulin (9.8±4.7 vs. 6.7±3.8 µU/L, P=0.02), and a higher level of HOMA-IR (2.39±1.24 vs. 1.54±0.93, P=0.008) compared with low-risk drinkers. No differences between drinking patterns were found in BMI (P=0.6) and blood lipids (P≥0.07). Conclusion: Our results suggest that in both mid-life men and postmenopausal women, at-risk drinking pattern is associated with an increased blood pressure and insulin resistance. However, in men, but not women, at-risk drinking pattern is also associated with an increased fasting glucose level, potentially putting men at a greater risk of CVD from at-risk drinking compared with women. NIAAA R00 AA028537 to CLH This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.