TITLE:
Alcohol and Type 2 Diabetes: Results from Canadian Cross-Sectional Data
AUTHORS:
James McIntosh
KEYWORDS:
Alcohol, Diabetes, Sample and Longitudinal Survey, Canada
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Diabetes Mellitus,
Vol.4 No.4,
November
6,
2014
ABSTRACT: Cross-section data from
Canadian Community Health Surveys are used to examine the relationship between
moderate alcohol use and type 2 diabetes. Results from these data are compared
with those which have been obtained from prospective longitudinal studies. The
major result is that both types of data yield similar conclusions with respect
to this relationship. The reason why this occurs is because Canadian drinking
behavior is quite stable once a respondent has become an adult and remains
relatively stable thereafter. The only difference between the two types of survey
is the time at which information on drinking behavior is obtained. Since this
does not matter if drinking behavior is stable over large age ranges results
from the two types of survey will be similar. Neither type of data can be used to
support the proposition that the relationship between drinking behavior and the
risk of diabetes is causal. Some advantages that sample survey data have over
longitudinal data are also noted.