Background
Previous studies have examined the association between alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults, but studies in the elderly are lacking. We examined the relationship between high-risk alcohol consumption and MetS in elderly Korean men using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire from the 2010–2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Methods
Among 25,534 subjects, 2,807 were men >60 years of age; after exclusions, we included 2,088 men in the final analysis. We categorized the study participants into three groups according to AUDIT score: low risk (0–7), intermediate risk (8–14), and high risk (≥15 points).
Results
Among the study population, 17.0% of the men were high-risk drinkers, who had the highest mean waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and triglyceride (TG) levels. The overall prevalence of MetS was 41.9% in the elderly men, and it was significantly higher in the group with high (48.3%) versus low (31.9%) AUDIT scores. The prevalence of MetS components (elevated BP, high FPG, high TG, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) was associated with a high AUDIT score. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of the high-risk group for MetS, elevated BP, and high TG were 1.40 (1.03–1.89), 1.82 (1.28– 2.60), and 1.77 (1.30–2.41) after adjustment for confounding variables.
Conclusion
AUDIT score was correlated with most MetS components in elderly Korean men.

Citations

• Sex-Specific Energy Intakes and Physical Activity Levels According to the Presence of Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Elderly People: Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016–2018
  Won-Sang Jung, Hun-Young Park, Sung-Woo Kim, Kiwon Lim
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2020; 17(15): 5416.     CrossRef
• Cardiovascular effects of alcohol: A double-edged sword / how to remain at the nadir point of the J-Curve?
  Theodora A. Manolis, Antonis A. Manolis, Antonis S. Manolis
  Alcohol.2019; 76: 117.     CrossRef
• High-Risk Drinking in the Elderly
  Seung-Won Oh
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2018; 39(4): 209.     CrossRef