Does alcohol use differ by diabetes status in middle aged males?

Purpose: Currently, there is a lack of research regarding the extent of alcohol use in patients diagnosed with diabetes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate whether alcohol use differs by diabetes status in middle aged males. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used 2017 BRFSS data for males ages 45-64 from Wisconsin (n=897), Maine (n=1507), Michigan (n=1712), and Minnesota (n=2843). Ordered logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between diabetes status and alcohol use by state after controlling for health-related factors, health behaviors, socioeconomic status, and demographic factors. Results: A small number participants were diagnosed with diabetes (11-13%) and the majority reported alcohol use (70%). The results of adjusted statistics across states indicated that diabetes status was moderately and inversely related to alcohol use. Conclusions: Overall, our research showed that there may be high prevalence of up to 70% alcohol use across states, and alcohol use is moderately and inversely related to diabetes status in middle aged males. The results of this study may generalize to middle-aged men in primary care. Those who drink and do not have diabetes should be made aware of the signs and symptoms of diabetes as to avoid future health issues. Additionally, all patients with a diabetes diagnosis should be screened for alcohol use, as alcohol use can affect hemoglobin A1C levels and uncontrolled cases should be referred to endocrinology as needed.