Blood glucose level, alcohol heavy drinking, and alcohol craving during treatment for alcohol dependence: results from the Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol Dependence (COMBINE) Study.
- Authors
- Leggio, Lorenzo; Ray, Lara A; Kenna, George A; Swift, Robert M
- Year
- 2009
- Journal
- Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
- PMID
- 19485973
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2009.00982.x
- PMCID
- PMC2955866
BACKGROUND: Heavy drinking may increase blood glucose levels. Moreover, in alcohol-dependent subjects, glucose may play a putative role in alcohol preference. METHODS: This study investigated the relationship between blood glucose levels and both alcohol heavy drinking and craving in alcohol-dependent subjects participating in the COMBINE Study. The primary objective was to evaluate the relationship between baseline (pretreatment) glucose levels and percentage of heavy drinking day (PHDD) during treatment. The secondary objective was to evaluate the relationship between glucose levels, baseline PHDD, and craving measured by the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS). RESULTS: This analysis consisted of 1,324 participants. Baseline glucose levels were significantly and positively associated with PHDD during treatment [F(1, 1225) = 5.21, p = 0.023], after controlling for baseline PHDD [F(1, 1225) = 36.25, p < 0.0001], gender [F (1, 1225) = 3.33, p = 0.07], and body mass index (BMI) [F(1, 1225) = 0.31, p = 0.58]. Higher glucose levels at baseline were associated with a higher percentage of PHDD at pretreatment [F(1, 1304) = 5.96, p = 0.015], after controlling for gender [F(1, 1304) = 0.29, p = 0.59] and BMI [F(1, 1304) = 0.90, p = 0.34]. Glucose was not significantly associated with the OCDS total score [F(1, 1304) = 0.12, p = 0.73], the OCDS Obsessive subscale [F(1, 1304) = 0.35, p = 0.56], or the OCDS Compulsive subscale [F(1, 1304) = 1.19, p = 0.28] scores, after controlling for gender and BMI. DISCUSSION: A link between pretreatment glucose levels and heavy drinking during treatment was found, suggesting a role of glucose in predicting heavy alcohol consumption. Although caution is needed in the interpretation of these results, elevated glucose and heavy drinking may be affected by a common mechanism and manipulations affecting glucose regulation may influence alcohol consumption.
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| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| 10% alcohol solution local | drug |
| AA strain local | cohort |
| acamprosate | drug |
| adiponectin | drug |
| age | phenotype |
| alcohol | phenotype |
| Alcohol abstinence local | drug |
| Alcohol craving (OCDS total score) local | phenotype |
| alcohol dependence | phenotype |
| alcoholism | phenotype |
| alcohol preference | phenotype |
| alcohol-seeking behaviour local | phenotype |
| Alcohol-seeking behaviour local | phenotype |
| Alcohol Use | phenotype |
| Alcohol Use Disorder | phenotype |
| ANA strain local | cohort |
| anti-hypertensive medications local | drug |
| antipsychotics | drug |
| atherosclerosis | phenotype |
| binge eating | phenotype |
| blood pressure | phenotype |
| blood pressure reduction local | phenotype |
| BMI | phenotype |
| body mass index | phenotype |
| Brain dopamine system local | anatomy |
| C57BL/6J | cohort |
| C57 Bl/6j mice local | cohort |
| cardiovascular disease | phenotype |
| Cardiovascular disorders local | phenotype |
| Combined behavioral intervention | drug |
| Combined Behavioral Therapy (CBI) local | drug |
| COMBINE participants local | cohort |
| Combine Study | cohort |
| Compulsive Subscale Score local | phenotype |
| C-peptide local | drug |
| craving | phenotype |
| DBA/2J | cohort |
| DBA/2j strain local | cohort |
| diabetes | phenotype |
| diabetogenic disturbance local | phenotype |
| dopamine | drug |
| Drug involvement | phenotype |
| ethanol consumption | phenotype |
| ghrelin | drug |
| glucose | drug |
| glucose intolerance | phenotype |
| Glucose regulation local | drug |
| Glucose regulatory peptides local | drug |
| heavy alcohol drinking local | phenotype |
| Heavy alcohol drinking local | phenotype |
| heavy drinking | phenotype |
| Heavy drinking days (PHDD) local | phenotype |
| homovanillic acid | drug |
| hypertension | phenotype |
| IGF-1 | drug |
| insulin | drug |
| leptin | drug |
| Liver cirrhosis | phenotype |
| Low dose alcohol consumption local | drug |
| marijuana | phenotype |
| medical management | drug |
| Medication Management (MM) local | drug |
| metabolic disorders | phenotype |
| Metabolic risk factor local | phenotype |
| metabolic syndrome | phenotype |
| naltrexone | drug |
| nicotine | drug |
| obesity | phenotype |
| Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale local | phenotype |
| Obsessive Subscale Score local | phenotype |
| OCDS Compulsive subscale local | phenotype |
| OCDS Obsessive subscale local | phenotype |
| OCDS Total Score local | phenotype |
| opioid | drug |
| participants | cohort |
| Percent days abstinent per month local | phenotype |
| Percent heavy drinking days (PHDD) local | phenotype |
| PHDD local | phenotype |
| reward deficiency syndrome | phenotype |
| reward system | anatomy |
| risk factor | phenotype |
| sex | phenotype |
| Thyroid hormones | drug |
| Time to first relapse to heavy drinking local | phenotype |
| treatment-seeking alcohol dependent subjects local | cohort |
| Wistar rats | cohort |
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