Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Studying the Hypothalamic Insulin Signal to Peripheral Glucose Intolerance with a Continuous Drug Infusion System into the Mouse Brain
Published on: January 4, 2018
Relationship between a wide range of alcohol consumptions, components of the insulin-like growth factor system and
L Dal Maso1, C La Vecchia, L S A Augustin
1Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Aviano Cancer Center, IRCCS, Aviano, Italy. epidemiology@cro.it
Objective:
To explore the relation between a wide range of alcohol consumptions and levels of the components of insulin-like growth factor system (IGFs) and adiponectin in humans.
Design:
A cross-sectional study using controls from a case-control study on ovarian and endometrial cancer.
Settings:
The study included women hospitalized between 1999 and 2002 in Pordenone, Italy.
Subjects:
One hundred and eight cancer-free (controls) with a median age of 61 years (range 29-79 years), admitted for acute conditions unrelated to gynecologic, hormonal or metabolic disorders or diseases leading to dietary modifications.
Interventions:
Levels of IGF-I (total and free), total IGF-II, IGF-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), IGFBP-3 and adiponectin were individually measured, and their distributions across strata of alcohol consumption were tested by the Kruskal-Wallis statistic.
Results:
Median concentrations of total IGF-I were higher (P<0.01) in women reporting low (151 ng/ml) or no alcohol consumption (134 ng/ml) compared to drinkers of 12-23 g/day (103 ng/ml) or >or=24 g/day (118 ng/ml). Median concentrations were higher (P=0.05) for IGFBP-3 in non-drinkers (2333 ng/ml) and in light drinkers (2647 ng/ml) compared to drinkers of >or=24 g/day (2090 ng/ml). No statistically significant difference emerged for other IGFs across levels of alcohol intakes. Adiponectin was slightly lower for non-drinkers, compared to all drinkers categories.
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that alcohol consumption is related to circulating levels of components of the IGF system and adiponectin. These results may have a potential impact on the prevention of several chronic diseases.
Sponsorship:
Italian Association for Research on Cancer, Milan, Italy, and Italian League against Tumours, Milan, Italy.
Related Concept Videos
Insulin: The Receptor and Signaling Pathways
Hormones Regulating Blood Glucose
In addition to accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, insulin has...
Insulin: Dosing Regimen and Adverse Effects
The basal dose constitutes about 40%-50% of the total daily dose, with the rest as premeal insulin. The mealtime insulin dose should mirror...
Glucagon-like Receptor Agonists
GLP-1, when administered in high doses intravenously, triggers insulin secretion, inhibits glucagon release, slows gastric emptying, reduces food intake, and restores normal insulin secretion. However, its rapid inactivation by the...
Glucose Homeostasis: Pancreatic Islets and Insulin Secretion
Insulin and C-peptide are co-secreted in...
Type II Diabetes II: Pathophysiology
