Prof. Jinhee Hur from the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology at Sungkyunkwan University (President Ji-Beom Yoo), in collaboration with investigators from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has reported that regular light to moderate alcohol consumption* may be associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The findings are based on up to 40 years of follow-up from the three large-scale prospective cohorts in the US—the Nurses’ Health Study I and II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study—involving 200,969 women and men.

   (*Defined as less than 15 g/day for women and less than 30 g/day for men)

While excessive alcohol consumption is clearly linked to increased risk of cancers, liver diseases, mental health issues, and injuries, the association between light to moderate drinking and health outcomes, particularly the risk of type 2 diabetes, remains inconsistent across prior studies. Furthermore, limited studies have addressed how specific drinking patterns—including frequency, beverage type, and whether alcohol is consumed with meals—may influence diabetes risk. To address these evidence gaps, the collaborative research group conducted a comprehensive analysis examining not only the amount of alcohol consumed but also various drinking patterns and their combined consequences on the development of type 2 diabetes.

Prof. Hur, a corresponding author of the article, emphasized, “Our findings suggest that regular light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes in both men and women; however, this should not be interpreted as a recommendation to initiate drinking for diabetes prevention.” She further noted, “Given the well-established, wide range of physical and mental health issues associated with alcohol consumption, a cautious and balanced interpretation is needed.”

This research was supported by the US National Institutes of Health and the National Research Foundation of Korea. It was published in the July 2025 issue of Diabetes Care (impact factor: 16.6). The study was highly acknowledged for its sophisticated and multidimensional analysis of alcohol consumption and drinking patterns with risk of type 2 diabetes, and thus received an invited commentary underscoring its academic significance by world-leading experts in the relevant disciplines.

- Title: Alcohol intake, drinking pattern, and risk of type 2 diabetes in three prospective cohorts of U.S. women and men

- Journal: Diabetes Care (IF: 16.6, top 2.9% in endocrinology & metabolism)

- DOI: https://doi.org/10.2337/dc24-1902