Background: Alcohol consumption is related to the prevalent metabolic syndrome. Few studies have evaluated the effects of alcohol consumption on the development of metabolic syndrome. Objective: We examined the association between alcohol consumption and incident metabolic syndrome. Design: This was a prospective cohort study of 3833 male and female Koreans aged 40–69 y and free of the metabolic syndrome at baseline. Information on alcohol consumption was obtained periodically from interviewer-administered questionnaires. Incident cases of the metabolic syndrome were identified by biennial health examinations during 4 y of follow-up between 2003 and 2006. Results: Compared with nondrinkers, the multivariate relative risk [RR (95% CI)] of the metabolic syndrome for very light drinkers consuming 0.1 to 5 g of alcohol per day (g/d) was 1.06 (0.71, 1.58), that for light drinkers consuming 5.1 to 15 g/d was 1.13 (0.69, 1.83), that for moderate drinkers consuming 15.1 to 30 g/d was 1.25 (0.75, 2.09), and that for heavy drinkers consuming >30 g/d was 1.63 (1.02, 2.62). All individual components of the metabolic syndrome were significantly associated with heavy drinking, particularly among heavy liquor drinkers. Conclusions: Heavy drinking, in particular among liquor drinkers, is associated with an increased risk of the metabolic syndrome by influencing its components. Further data are warranted to clarify the association between drinking minimal alcohol and the metabolic syndrome as well as the beverage-specific association for drinking beer or wine.

S and full research articles published in SLEEP, the official journal of the APSS. Sleep and sleep disorder scientific findings.

Background: Genome-wide association (GWA) studies regarding the quantitative trait of alcohol consumption are limited.Objective: The objective of the

Recently, the Icelandic Sleep Apnea Cohort (ISAC) identified three subgroups in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) recruited from the sleep clinic based on clinical symptoms and comorbidities: excessively sleepy, minimally symptomatic, and disturbed sleep. This study sought to determine whether the three OSA subgroups are applicable to a population-based cohort in Korea. Study subjects are participants of an ongoing cohort study in Korea. Of the 2,918 participants, 422 new moderate to severe OSA cases (apneahypopnea index [AHI] ≥ 15 events/h) were diagnosed by home sleep studies. All participants completed a detailed questionnaire on sleep-related symptoms, comorbidities, medication, and other information. A latent class analysis was performed. When examining solutions for up to 10 clusters, the a priori three-cluster solution was the optimal clustering solution. The three-cluster solution demonstrated a subgroup presentation similar to the clusters identified in the ISAC. The minimally symptomatic subgroup was most prevalent (55.7%) in the Korean cohort. Among the three subgroups, there were no differences in mean AHI and body mass index; however, the disturbed sleep subgroup was older and had more females. Combined with the ISAC data, we suggest that the three-symptom cluster solution for patients with OSA may be more widely applicable, irrespective of ethnicity and study population.

This study investigates health behaviors, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and sleep among chronotypes in a community-based sample (n = 2,976). Analysis of covariance indicated evening types (E-types) had a significantly higher percentage of current smokers and more sleep-interfering behaviors compared to intermediate and morning types (M-type), and also lower physical activity and more sleep disturbance compared to M-types. E-types also had worse mental HRQOL compared to both chronotypes, and worse physical HRQOL compared to M-types. Exploratory analyses indicated E-types consumed more caffeinated beverages at night, smoked or ate heavy meals before bedtime, kept irregular sleep-wake schedules, and took more naps. Mediational analyses indicated that sleep-interfering behavior partially mediated the relationship between chronotype and sleep disturbance, and physical activity partially mediated the relationship between chronotype and mental HRQOL. E-types had more unhealthy behaviors, which may subsequently place them at higher risk for health problems.

S and full research articles published in SLEEP, the official journal of the APSS. Sleep and sleep disorder scientific findings.