Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 14, 2026

An Advanced Murine Model for Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in Association with Type 2 Diabetes
Published on: April 26, 2019
Diabetes and Obesity Modify the Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin
Tomás González-Vidal1,2,3, Óscar Lado-Baleato4,5, Fátima de la Osa6
1Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias/University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
Aims:
Serum levels of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT, the sum of its asialylated and disialylated glycoforms) are a commercial marker of alcohol abuse. Our aim was to investigate the potential influence of metabolic factors on serum CDT levels and the predictive value of transferrin glycoforms for the development of type 2 diabetes in a general adult population.
Materials And Methods:
We measured serum CDT levels by capillary electrophoresis in 1516 individuals (median age 52 years; 55.3% women) randomly selected from the general adult population of a municipality.
Results:
Insulin resistance and the associated body mass index and diabetes modified the effect of alcohol consumption on CDT levels; i.e., CDT in heavy drinkers was lower in individuals with obesity than in lean counterparts and was also lower in people with diabetes than in normoglycaemic individuals. The relative abundance of transferrin glycoforms was not significantly associated with the development of type 2 diabetes after a mean follow-up of 7.4 years.
Conclusions:
There is an interaction between alcohol consumption and factors associated with insulin resistance in relation to transferrin sialylation. The sensitivity of CDT for detecting heavy alcohol consumption might be limited in people with obesity or diabetes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Carbohydrate Metabolism
Starch accounts for approximately 60% of the carbohydrates consumed by humans. Since amylase enzymes cannot function in the stomach's acidic environment, starch can only be digested in the mouth and small intestine. Simple sugars are found naturally in milk and fruits in...
Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Absorption and Distribution
Pharmacokinetics in Obese Patients: Drug Metabolism and Excretion
Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism
Glucose transport into cells is facilitated by a family of transport proteins called GLUT (Glucose Transporters). GLUT4 is the primary glucose transporter for insulin-stimulated glucose...
Drug Dosing: Obese Patients
Obesity

