• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.159-167
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• 2023

The prevalence of diabetes continues to increase worldwide, and the problem is also important in Korea, and about 14% of Korean adults have diabetes. Alcohol consumptions are increasing rapidly around the world and are recognized as one of the major problems in the country. Alcohol consumption is an environmental factor previously known to be associated with the risk of developing diabetes. Alcohol consumption can cause problems in the endocrine system and gastrointestinal function, and oxidative stress of acetaldehyde, an ethanol metabolite, can damage beta cells in the pancreas. In the present study, we found the effect of alcohol intake on fasting blood sugar and the difference between men and women in the risk of diabetes according to alcohol intake. In men, the high-drinking group had a higher risk of diabetes than the non-drinking group (OR, 1.41; P=0.058). In women, the Moderate-drinking group had a lower risk of diabetes compared to the non-drinking group (OR, 0.42; P=0.039). The high-drinking group had a higher risk of diabetes than the non-drinking group (OR, 2.97; P=0.034). The group that consumed more than the WHO's daily alcohol intake risk standard tended to have a higher risk of diabetes than the group that did not (OR, 5.48; P=0.001). This study suggest that moderate alcohol consumption reduce the risk of developing diabetes, and high alcohol consumption increase the risk of developing diabetes.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.166-172
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity and alcohol drinking are associated with metabolic syndrome. However, few studies show the relationship between alcohol drinking and metabolic syndrome according to varying degrees of obesity. This study aimed to determine the association between alcohol drinking and metabolic syndrome in obese and non-obese Korean male adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 5,867 males aged ${\geq}20$ years who were examined at the Soonchunhyang University health promotion center during June 2008-December 2010. The subjects were divided into non-obese (body mass index [BMI] < $25kg/m^2$) and obese (BMI ${\geq}25kg/m^2$) groups and further divided according to weekly alcohol consumption into nondrinking (0 drinks/week), moderate drinking (${\leq}14$ drinks/week), and heavy drinking (> 14 drinks/week) groups. The subjects were also categorized into binge drinking and non-binge drinking groups. To obtain odds ratios (ORs) for metabolic syndrome, binary logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The overall metabolic syndrome prevalence was 27.3% (12.8%, non-obese group; 50.4%, obese group). After adjusting for age, physical activity, and smoking, in the non-obese group, the OR for heavy drinking with binge drinking (reference: nondrinking) was 1.56 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-2.18), with a significant increase in metabolic syndrome prevalence. In the obese group, the OR for heavy drinking with binge drinking was 1.42 (95% CI = 1.07-1.88), showing a significant increase in metabolic syndrome prevalence (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In both non-obese and obese Korean males, heavy drinking with binge drinking was associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome. Thus, both non-obese and obese males should restrict their alcohol intake and not indulge in binge drinking.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2004

Objective:Nitric oxide(NO) has been known to be associated with tolerance and preference to alcohol. It has also been known to affect various alcohol drinking behavior, alcohol withdrawal symptoms and alcohol- induced brain damage. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference, among alcohol dependence group, alcohol drinking group and abstinence group, in serum concentration of nitrite, a stable metabolite of NO, and it's relationship to clinical and biochemical markers of alcoholism. Methods:Forty subjects diagnosed as alcohol dependence according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were evaluated for the clinical characteristics and biochemical markers of alcohol dependence including nitrite with their CIWA-Ar scores checked just after admission. Thirty-nine healthy controls were also evaluated, divided into twenty-three alcohol drinking group and sixteen abstinence group. Clinical characteristics were evaluated by CIWA-Ar, CAGE and AUDIT questionnaires. Aspartate aminotransferase(AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma glutamyltransferase(GGT) and mean corpuscular volume(MCV) were used as the biochemical markers of alcohol dependence. Serum nitrite concentrations were measured by Griess reaction. Results:1) The concentrations of nitrite in alcohol dependence patients were not different from those in the control subjects. 2) There were no significant association between the nitrite concentrations and the CIWA-Ar scores in alcohol dependence patients. 3) Nitrites are significantly increased in alcohol dependence group and alcohol drinking group compared with abstinence group. Conclusions:These findings suggest that serum nitrite concentration has no relation with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, but alcohol drinking increases serum nitrite concentration influenced by general condition of the body.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 2000

In modern society, the amount of alcohol ingestion is increasing at a dangerous level, especially among women. One of reason for increased alcohol consumption is stress caused by social pressures. Alcohol is a kind of depressant of centric nervous system, so it can induce relaxation of body and decrease the stress. The evidence on the effects of alcohol on the fetus is somewhat hazy, whereas that of smoking is quite clear. The literature on the ingestion of alcohol strongly suggests that drinking during pregnancy is associated with teratogenic effect and low birth weight. Therefore, the adverse effect of alcohol ingestion during pregnancy must be informed to public. More remarkable warning sign about alcohol ingestion must be attached on the top of bottles. This can be an effective measure for public education. Also legal sanction or tax imposition for the production of liquor be required. First of all, drinking habit or drinking culture must be changed. In fact, the strongest motivation of drinking in adolescent is a peer pressure which is related to drinking habit or culture. Secondly, early detection and treatment must be required to prevent from fetal alcohol syndrome. Accordingly, drinking history of pregnant women must be assessed as early as possible and health professional should give a warning about the abstinence of alcohol to drinking women. Thirdly, to minimize the adverse effects for mother, withdrawal syndrome by alcohol ingestion must be treated. to correct the malformation by fetal alcohol syndrome(FAS) can be corrected. Sometimes surgical intervention may be required for this purpose.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 2011

Objectives The aim of this study is to explore the association among DRD4 polymorphism, temperament and alcohol drinking behavior of Koreans in their early adulthood. Method Participants were 172 healthy Korean adults (mean age $28.1{\pm}0.8$). Their temperament was assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and their alcohol drinking behavior were evaluated with a self-reported questionnaire including the CAGE and the Korean version of Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-K). DRD4 exon III 48 base pair variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) was genotyped by PCR. Results No significant association was found between DRD4 polymorphism and TCI temperament dimension (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and persistence) as well as alcohol drinking behavior scales. However, novelty seeking was significantly associated with alcohol drinking behavior. The higher level of novelty seeking was associated with the higher severity index of drinking (B = -0.225, p < 0.001) and problematic alcohol use on the CAGE and AUDIT-K [Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.111, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.021-1.209, p = 0.015, OR = 1.087, 95% CI 1.009-1.170, p = 0.028]. Conclusion In our study, while there is no significant association of DRD4 polymorphism with temperament and alcohol drinking behavior, novelty seeking affects problematic alcohol use. Results suggest that novelty seeking may play an important role in problematic alcohol use in young Korean adults.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.63-79
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation among alcohol outcome expectancies, alcohol abstinence self-efficacy, perceived drinking norms and alcohol use. This study was conducted via e-mail. Among 392 students who were participated via E-mail, 300 students (male 148, female 152) were met a definition of Wechsler's binge drinking. The results revealed that perceived norms were associated with alcohol use in binge drinking group, while those were not in non-binge drinking group. It was identified that a difference of peer's actual alcohol consumption and peer's perceived drinking was associated with individual alcohol use. Moreover, for binge drinking group, perceived norms predicted alcohol use better than any other factors. Drinking motives mediated the relation with perceived norms and alcohol use. Especially perceived norms affected alcohol use not only by increasing drinking motives but also by itself. Implication of this study is to provide a basis of prevention and intervention of binge drinking for college students.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.202-215
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• 2001

This is an exploratory study to describe drinking patterns and alcohol-related problems (ARP) in women. A probability sample was drawn from Kyungnam Providence area 20 to 59 age by a multi- stage cluster sampling method and secondary data analysis was used. Drinking patterns in this study involve lifetime prevalence of alcohol use, year prevalence, month prevalence , frequency and usual quantity of drinking alcohol in a situation, ARPs were measured by employing a modified version of ARP developed by Alcohol Research Group in U.S.A. Three measurements were constructed to represent alcohol-related problems by summing up 41 alcoholic statements, which were consequence, social consequence and dependence. The results were as follows; 1) The lifetime prevalence of alcohol use in women was $80.3\%$ and year prevalence $78.3\%$. High prevalence rates of drinking were observed in the twenties who have at least community college diploma. and frequencies of alcohol use were increased as age increased. 2) More than $27.3\%$ of the respondents who were reported to experience at least a ARP in a year. 3) ARPs were associated with age, religion, frequency and usual quantity of drinking alcohol in situation. Issues were proposed with respect to research methodology and policy implications for public health.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.192-203
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• 2018

Alcohol consumption among soldiers impairs health status, performance, and increases the risks of injuries and violence. This study examined drinking behaviors, health problems, and violence among enlisted soldiers at Adisorn military unit in Saraburi, Thailand. Data collection using self-reported questionnaires were distributed to 256 enlisted male soldiers in May 2017. Participants were age 20-22 (93%), Buddhists (98%), high school education or lower (93%). They purchased alcohol at their own expense (46.5%). For alcohol consumption, all were lifetime drinkers (100%). The current drinking patterns were different 28.5% were current drinkers, 65.5% are currently abstaining from drinking (64.5%), and 6.6% stopped drinking permanently. The top three alcohol beverages were beer (52.3%), brandy (25.0%), and hard liquor (19.5%). Problems related to alcohol were from lost balance/falls (6.7%), illness (10.2%), driving under the influence (19.5%), and accidents (24.2%). Violence from drinking in the past month was from fighting (28.1%). This study is the first to provide information about alcohol-related problems in enlisted male soldiers. There is the need to offer straightforward advice, brief counseling, and refer soldiers to receive treatment to prevent alcohol-related problems. Online social media and web-based programs were recommended as platforms to provide preventive alcohol message to the enlisted.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.58-67
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• 2019

Background: In this study, we aimed to investigate the drinking behaviors and drinking-related problems of college students in South Korea to produce national alcohol statistics. Methods: We carefully examined the questionnaires and previous research developed in the previous research project and selected questions that reflect the special environment and culture of college students. In order to stratify a nationally representative sample of college students, the distribution of students around the country were found through the educational statistics database of the Korea Educational Development Institute. Based on this information, we conducted a survey in collaboration with Gallup (Korea) to survey and analyze the drinking behaviors of 5,024 Korean students. Results: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2017, for Korean college students. A total of 5,024 students were recruited and analyzed. The monthly drinking rate was 78.0% for male students and 72.9% for female students. The high-risk drinking rate was 23.3% for male students and 17.2% for female students. The most popular category for number of drinks per drinking session was 'more than 10 glasses' per drinking session for both male (44.1%) and female (32.8%). On the alcohol use disorders identification test, the greatest proportion of male students were in the high-risk drinking category (score 8 to 15) 43.8%, followed by the 'low-risk drinking' (score 0 to 7) in 43.6%, 'alcohol abuse' (score 16 to 19) 7.2%, and 'alcohol dependence' (greater than 20) 5.4% categories, respectively. For female students, the greatest proportion of female students were in the 'low-risk drinking' in 49.6%, followed by 'high-risk drinking' 37.1%, 'alcohol abuse' 8.4%, and 'alcohol dependence' 4.9% categories, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the drinking behavior of Korean college students was excessive. Overall, it was found that the college population has a greater high-risk drinking behaviors than general adult population. Furthermore, these problem drinking behaviors were prominent among female college students. Results from the present study suggest that it is necessary to monitor the drinking behavior of college students with constant interest and to prepare policies and strategies suitable for these circumstances.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.87-98
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to compare alcohol drinking behaviors between living alone and living together women in Korea. Methods: 6~7th National Heath and Nutrition Examination Survey(2013~2016) data were analyzed using SPSS statistics complex samples. 9,373 Korean Women, aged 19-65 years were included in this study. Among them, 560 participants(5.1%) was living alone women and analyzed between characteristics of drinking behaviors of living alone and living together women. Results: Adjusted confounding variables were analyzed and the risk of light drinking behavior was not significant between the groups. However the group of living alone women showed in higher risk of binge drinking(OR=1.57, 95%CI=1.19-2.07) than those of living together women. Conclusions: Living alone women were associated with binge drinking behaviors compared to living together women. Thus, living alone women are needed to concern on social behaviors including alcohol drinking.