UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Short-term abstinence from alcohol and changes in cardiovascular risk factors, liver function tests and cancer-related growth factors: a prospective observational study

Mehta, G; Macdonald, S; Cronberg, A; Rosselli, M; Khera-Butler, T; Sumpter, C; Al-Khatib, S; ... Moore, KP; + view all (2018) Short-term abstinence from alcohol and changes in cardiovascular risk factors, liver function tests and cancer-related growth factors: a prospective observational study. BMJ Open , 8 (5) , Article e020673. 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020673. Green open access

[thumbnail of e020673.full.pdf]
Preview
Text
e020673.full.pdf - Accepted Version

Download (825kB) | Preview

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in metabolic risk factors and cancer-related growth factors associated with short-term abstinence from alcohol. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. SETTING: Single tertiary centre. PARTICIPANTS: Healthy subjects were recruited based on intention to: (1) abstain from alcohol for 1 month (abstinence group), or (2) continue to drink alcohol (control group). Inclusion criteria were baseline alcohol consumption >64 g/week (men) or >48 g/week (women). Exclusion criteria were known liver disease or alcohol dependence. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was change in insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) score). Secondary outcomes were changes in weight, blood pressure (BP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and liver function tests. Primary and secondary outcomes were adjusted for changes in diet, exercise and cigarette smoking. RESULTS: The abstinence group comprised 94 participants (mean age 45.5 years, SD ±1.2) and the control group 47 participants (mean age 48.7 years, SD ±1.8). Baseline alcohol consumption in the abstinence group was 258.2 g/week, SD ±9.4, and in the control group 233.8 g, SD ±19.0. Significant reductions from baseline in the abstinence group (all p<0.001) were found in: HOMA score (-25.9%, IQR -48.6% to +0.3%), systolic BP (-6.6%, IQR -11.8% to 0.0%), diastolic BP (-6.3%, IQR -14.1% to +1.3%), weight (-1.5%, IQR -2.9% to -0.4%), VEGF (-41.8%, IQR -64.9% to -17.9%) and EGF (-73.9%, IQR -86.1% to -36.4%). None of these changes were associated with changes in diet, exercise or cigarette smoking. No significant changes from baseline in primary or secondary outcomes were noted in the control group. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that abstinence from alcohol in moderate-heavy drinkers improves insulin resistance, weight, BP and cancer-related growth factors. These data support an independent association of alcohol consumption with cancer risk, and suggest an increased risk of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease.

Type: Article
Title: Short-term abstinence from alcohol and changes in cardiovascular risk factors, liver function tests and cancer-related growth factors: a prospective observational study
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020673
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020673
Language: English
Additional information: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
Keywords: alcohol, cancer, fatty liver, insulin resistance
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Medicine
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Medicine > Department of Education
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Medicine > Inst for Liver and Digestive Hlth
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10048446
Downloads since deposit
107Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item