Association between Alcohol Consumption and Metabolic Syndrome Determined by Facial Flushing in Korean Women

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome in Korean women as determined by facial flushing. METHODS: Of the female patients aged <65 years who visited the health promotion center at Chungnam National University Hospital from January 2016 to March 2017, 1,344 women were included. After adjusting for confounding factors such as age, body mass index, smoking, exercise, and menopausal status, multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of metabolic syndrome in the facial flushing and non-facial flushing groups compared with the non-drinkers. RESULTS: Even after adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of metabolic syndrome was significantly high in all drinking subgroups (≤2 standard drinks: odds ratio [OR], 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–2.68; 2<, ≤4 standard drinks: OR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.29–4.74; and >4 standard drinks: OR, 4.16; 95% CI, 2.03–8.30) of the facial flushing group. The risk of metabolic syndrome was significantly high only in the subgroup of weekly alcohol consumption >4 standard drinks (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.07–4.52) in the non-facial flushing group. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that Korean women experiencing facial flushing when drinking have a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome even with a low weekly drinking amount than those who do not experience face flushing.