Lower socioeconomic status associated with higher tuberculosis rate in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is an infectious disease influenced by social factors rather than a simple infectious disease. In this study, we investigated the relationship between tuberculosis rates and socioeconomic status. METHODS: This study was conducted using data of the 49,483 participants of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VI-VIII (2013-2021). The relationships between tuberculosis rates and the quartiles of monthly household income and education level were examined using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The KNHANES data revealed that the prevalence of tuberculosis as substantially related to monthly household income (odds ratio [OR], 6.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-32.0 for lowest vs. highest incomes) and education level (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.2-12.0 for 10-12 years vs. ≥13 years; OR, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.2-14.8 for ≤ 6 years vs. ≥13 years). Furthermore, current tuberculosis treatment was significantly related to monthly household income and education level. CONCLUSION: There were substantial correlations between tuberculosis rates and socioeconomic status in South Korea.

The growth status of North Korean refugee adolescents in South Korea: comparison with South Korean adolescents.

AIM: To assess the growth status of North Korean refugee adolescents (NKRA) living in South Korea (SK) and compare their growth status with that of SK adolescents (SKA). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: NKRA were interviewed from 2017 to 2020, whereas the data for SKA were from the 2016 to 2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. SKA and NKRA were matched by age and gender in a 3:1 ratio and 534 SKA and 185 NKRA were enrolled. RESULTS: After adjusting for the covariates, NKRA had greater prevalences of thinness (odds ratio [OR], 11.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.9-45.6) and obesity (OR, 12.0; 95% CI, 3.1-46.1) than SKA, but were not of short stature. In comparison with SKA in low-income families, NKRA had similarly greater prevalences of thinness and obesity, but not of short stature. As the length of stay of NKRA in SK increased, the prevalence of short stature and thinness did not decrease, while the prevalence of obesity increased significantly. CONCLUSION: Although they had lived in SK for several years, NKRA had greater prevalences of thinness and obesity than SKA and the prevalence of obesity increased significantly with the length of stay in SK.

Association between alcohol and bone mineral density in a Mendelian randomization study: the Dong-gu study.

INTRODUCTION: Many previous studies have reported a positive relationship between alcohol and bone mineral density (BMD). However, the causality between alcohol and BMD has not been fully evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study enrolled 8892 participants from the Dong-gu study. Mendelian randomization (MR) using two-stage least-squared regression was used to evaluate the association between the genetically predicted amount of alcohol consumption per day and BMD. The aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) rs671 polymorphism was used as instrumental variables for alcohol consumption. Age, smoking history, and BMI were adjusted in the multivariate model. RESULTS: Self-reported alcohol consumption was positively related to total hip and lumbar spine BMD in both sexes. In multivariate Mendelian randomization analysis, the genetically predicted amount of alcohol consumption was positively associated with both total hip and lumbar spine BMD in men. Total hip BMD and lumbar spine BMD increased by 0.004 g/cm2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.002-0.007) and 0.007 g/cm2 (95% CI 0.004-0.011) with doubling of alcohol consumption. However, in women, genetically predicted alcohol consumption was not significantly associated with BMD. CONCLUSION: In our MR study, genetically predicted alcohol consumption was positively associated with BMD in men. This result suggests that the association between alcohol consumption and BMD is causal.

Typhoid fever presenting with gastric ulcer bleeding.

BACKGROUND: Enteric fever is a systemic disease caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi or Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi, characterized by high fever and abdominal pain. Most patients with enteric fever improve within a few days after antibiotic treatment. However, some patients do not recover as easily and develop fatal life-threatening complications, including intestinal hemorrhage. Lower gastrointestinal bleeding has been reported in 10% of cases. However, upper gastrointestinal bleeding has rarely been reported in patients with enteric fever. We present a case of gastric ulcer hemorrhage caused by enteric fever. CASE PRESENTATION: A 32-year-old woman, complaining of fever lasting four days and right upper quadrant pain and melena that started one day before admission, consulted our hospital. Abdominal computed tomography revealed mild hepatomegaly and gastroscopy revealed multiple active gastric ulcers with flat black hemorrhagic spots. The melena of the patient stopped on the third day. On the fifth admission day, she developed hematochezia. At that time, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi was isolated from the blood culture. The antibiotic regimen was switched to ceftriaxone. Her hematochezia spontaneously resolved the following day. Finally, the patient was discharged on the 12th admission day without clinical symptoms. However, her fever recurred one month after discharge, and she was readmitted and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi was confirmed again via blood culture. She was treated with ceftriaxone for one month, and was discharged without complications. CONCLUSION: Our case showed that although rare, active gastric ulcers can develop in patients with enteric fever. Therefore, upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding should be suspected in patients with enteric fever, especially showing relapsing bacteremia.

Serum level vitamin D and parathyroid hormone, and mortality, with or without chronic kidney disease.

Levels of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) are closely associated with renal function. We evaluated the associations among 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels, PTH levels, and mortality, and whether these associations varied by renal function. We used data from the Dong-gu Study, a population-based cohort in Korean adults. We analyzed the associations among intact PTH, 25OHD levels and mortality in 8580 participants. Hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression after adjusting for age, sex, month of sampling, lifestyle, and comorbidities. We also evaluated the effects of chronic kidney disease (CKD). A total of 860 deaths occurred during the follow-up period of 7.6 years. Compared to the first 25OHD quartile, the HRs of the second, third, and fourth quartiles were 0.96 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79-1.16], 0.84 (95% CI 0.68-1.02), and 0.71 (95% CI 0.57-0.89), respectively. The association between intact PTH levels and mortality varied by renal function, and was both nonlinear and significant only in subjects with CKD. Compared to the second intact PTH quartile in such subjects, the HRs for the first, third, and fourth quartiles were 1.61 (95% CI 0.92-2.81), 1.97 (95% CI 1.17-3.31), and 2.19 (95% CI 1.33-3.59), respectively. In conclusion, we demonstrated that low serum levels of 25OHD are associated with an increased risk of mortality. Serum levels of intact PTH are nonlinearly associated with mortality only in subjects with CKD, with the lowest risk for mortality being evident in the second quartile.

Association between Plasma Pentraxin 3 Levels and Bone Mineral Density in Elderly Koreans: the Dong-gu Study.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the association between pentraxin 3 (PTX3), a novel inflammatory marker, and bone mineral density (BMD) in the general Korean population. METHODS: We selected a sub-cohort of 1,440 subjects (757 men and 683 women) from participants in the community-based Dong-gu Study. The mean age was 66.0 ± 8.1 years for men and 63.7 ± 7.9 years for women. The plasma PTX3 levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and BMD was measured in the femoral neck and lumbar spine using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between the plasma PTX3 levels and BMD. RESULTS: PTX3 was inversely associated with the BMD of the lumbar spine (P = 0.010) and femoral neck (P < 0.001) in men but not in women. For men, the association with the BMD of the femoral neck remained after adjustment for multiple comparison (P = 0.020). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that PTX3 levels might be inversely associated with BMD in elderly men.

The association between vitamin D and parathyroid hormone and bone mineral density: the Dong-gu Study.

The primary objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in Korean subjects from the general population aged ≥50 years. This study included 8,857 individuals who completed the baseline survey of the Dong-gu study, which was conducted in Korea from 2007-2010. The participants who fulfilled the detailed inclusion criteria underwent assessment of the femoral neck and lumbar spine aBMD as well as measurement of serum 25(OH)D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. After adjusting for other covariates and log-PTH values, the mean aBMD of the femoral neck exhibited a significant increase with increasing 25(OH)D levels in both males (p < 0.001) and females (p = 0.005). Additionally, the mean aBMD of the lumbar spine exhibited a significant increase with increasing 25(OH)D levels in males (p = 0.011) but not females (p = 0.252). After adjusting for covariates and log-25(OH)D values, the mean aBMD values of the femoral neck and lumbar spine showed significant decreases with increasing PTH levels in both males and females (p < 0.001). The present findings demonstrate that the aBMD of the femoral neck was significantly associated with 25(OH)D levels independent of PTH in both males and females and that the aBMD of the lumbar spine was significantly associated with 25(OH)D levels independent of PTH in males, but not females.

The Association of Vitamin D With Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate and Albuminuria: 5th Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2011-2012.

OBJECTIVES: The kidney plays a key role in the metabolism of vitamin D. However, the relationship between GFR and 25(OH)D is not well understood. Moreover, few studies have investigated the effect of albuminuria, a known mediator of kidney function, on vitamin D levels. Our aim was to investigate the associations among estimated GFR (eGFR), albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR), and 25(OH)D. METHODS: We investigated the relationship of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) with eGFR and albuminuria in 11,336 adults who participated in the 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2011-2012. The eGFR, ACR, and serum 25(OH)D were measured in participants who met the detailed inclusion criteria. RESULTS: We found that after adjusting for covariates and log-ACR values, the mean (95% CI) eGFR decreased significantly with increasing 25(OH)D levels (Q1: 93.4 [92.7-94.0]; Q2: 91.9 [91.2-92.5]; Q3: 90.9 [90.3-91.6]; and Q4: 90.2 [89.5-90.8] mL/min/1.73m2; P < .001). However, the mean 25(OH)D value was highest at eGFR 61-90 mL/min per 1.73 m2 and decreased significantly with decreasing eGFR levels (>90: 17.3 [17.1-17.5]; 61-90: 17.6 [17.4-17.8]; 46-60: 17.1 [16.2-18.0]; 31-45: 16.2 [14.2-18.2]; ≤30: 13.8 [17.0-10.7] ng/mL; P = .008). After adjusting for covariates and log-eGFR, the mean ACR decreased significantly with increasing 25(OH)D quartiles (Q1: 22.0 [18.1-25.9]; Q2: 20.4 [16.6-24.2]; Q3: 16.3 [12.5-20.0]; Q4: 15.0 [11.2-18.8] µg/mg; P = .043). CONCLUSIONS: The mean eGFR values were negatively associated with 25(OH)D levels independently of ACR. However, the mean 25(OH)D values were decreased significantly with decreasing eGFR levels in moderate and severe chronic kidney disease stages. Also, the mean ACR values were negatively associated with 25(OH)D levels independently of eGFR in an Korean adult population.

The association between income inequality and all-cause mortality across urban communities in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Korea has achieved considerable economic growth more rapidly than most other countries, but disparities in income level have increased. Therefore, we sought to assess the association between income inequality and mortality across Korean cities. METHODS: Data on household income were obtained from the 2010-2012 Korean Community Health Survey and data on all-cause mortality and other covariates were obtained from the Korean Statistical Information Service. The Gini coefficient, Robin Hood index, and income share ratio between the 80th and 20th percentiles of the distribution were measured for each community. After excluding communities affected by changes in administrative districts between 2010 and 2012, a total of 157 communities and 172,398 urban residents were included in the analysis. RESULTS: When we graphed income inequality measures versus all-cause mortality as scatter plots, the R square values of the regression lines for GC, RHI, and 80/20 ratios relative to mortality were 0.230, 0.238, and 0.152, respectively. After adjusting for other covariates and median household income, mean all-cause mortality increased significantly with increasing GC (P for trend = 0.014) and RHI (P for trend = 0.031), and increased marginally with 80/20 ratio (P for trend = 0.067). CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that income inequality measures are significantly associated with all-cause mortality rate after adjustment for covariates, including median household income across urban communities in Korea.

APOE Polymorphism Is Associated with C-reactive Protein Levels but Not with White Blood Cell Count: Dong-gu Study and Namwon Study.

We evaluated the association of the APOE polymorphism with serum C-reactive protein levels and white blood cell count in two large population-based studies in Korean. The datasets included the Dong-gu study (n = 8,893) and the Namwon Study (n = 10,032). APOE genotypes were identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship of APOE genotypes with C-reactive protein levels and white blood cell count with adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and serum lipids. In the multivariate model, carriers of E3E4 or E4E4 genotype had significantly lower C-reactive protein levels compared with carriers of E3E3 genotype group (0.50 mg/L vs. 0.67 mg/L; 0.37 mg/L vs. 0.67 mg/L, respectively, for the Dong-gu Study and 0.47 mg/L vs. 0.66 mg/L; 0.45 mg/L vs. 0.66 mg/L, respectively, for the Namwon Study). However, there was no difference in white blood cell count among APOE genotypes. We found that the APOE E4 allele is associated with lower C-reactive protein levels, but not white blood cell count. Our results suggest that APOE genotype may influence C-reactive protein levels through non-inflammatory pathway.

Dose-response relationship between serum γ-glutamyltransferase and arterial stiffness in Korean adults: the Namwon Study.

BACKGROUND: The results of epidemiologic studies of the association between serum γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) have been inconsistent. We examined the association between serum GGT and arterial stiffness in a general population of Korean adults. METHODS: The study population consisted of 6314 community-dwelling Koreans who participated in the baseline survey of the Namwon Study. We analyzed sex-specific association between serum GGT and arterial stiffness, as measured by baPWV. RESULTS: There was a significant progressive increase in age-adjusted mean baPWV across quartiles of GGT in both sexes. In fully adjusted analysis, as compared with the lowest quartile, the odds ratios (95% CI) for high baPWV (ie, sex-specific fifth quintile) were 1.51 (1.03-2.23), 1.82 (1.22-2.72), and 2.80 (1.79-4.40) among men (P-trend <0.001), and 1.11 (0.81-1.52), 1.29 (0.94-1.76), and 1.47 (1.04-2.08) among women (P-trend <0.001), for the second, third, and fourth quartiles of GGT, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study examined the dose-response relationship between GGT and arterial stiffness as measured by baPWV in both sexes. The association between GGT and arterial stiffness was stronger among men. Additional longitudinal studies are needed to examine the relationship between GGT and arterial stiffness and clarify the mechanism underlying the association.

Sex-related differences in the association between waist circumference and bone mineral density in a Korean population.

BACKGROUND: Large waist circumference is linked to poor health. Investigations of the relationship between waist circumference, as an index of abdominal fat, and bone mineral density (BMD) have yielded inconsistent results. We investigated the association between abdominal obesity measured using waist circumference and BMD in a large-scale population-based study. METHODS: We enrolled 8981 Korean (3592 males and 5389 females) community-dwelling individuals aged ≥50 years from 2007 to 2010. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at lumbar spine and femoral neck skeletal sites. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between waist circumference quartiles and BMD after adjusting for age, height, weight, and regular exercise. RESULTS: The adjustment for age, height, weight, and regular exercise revealed a negative linear association between quartile of waist circumference and BMD at the femoral neck and lumbar spine sites in males and females. Waist circumference was more strongly correlated with BMD in males than in females. Although the correlations were slightly attenuated following further adjustment for percent body fat, they remained statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our results revealed that waist circumference is independently and inversely associated with BMD after adjusting for age, weight, height, regular exercise and percent body fat, suggesting that waist circumference is a potential predictor of osteoporosis in middle-aged and older Korean males and females.

Gender differences in the association between depressive symptoms and carotid atherosclerosis among middle-aged and older Koreans: the Namwon study.

We investigated the association of depressive symptoms with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaques in the general Korean population. A total of 7,554 Korean males and females aged 45-74 yr who were free from cardiovascular diseases were included in the analyses. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Subjects with a score of ≥16 were classified as having clinically significant depressive symptoms. Carotid ultrasonography was used to measure mean carotid IMT (C-IMT) and to determine the presence of plaques. A significant association between depressive symptoms and C-IMT was observed only in females. After adjustment for established cardiovascular risk factors, females with depressive symptoms had significantly greater C-IMT than females without depressive symptoms (mean difference 0.011±0.004 mm; 95% confidence interval, 0.003-0.019 mm). Compared with controls, the fully adjusted risk of females with depressive symptoms for abnormal C-IMT (≥1.0 mm) was significant (odds ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-2.30). No significant association between depressive symptoms and carotid plaques was observed in either gender. This study shows a significant association between depressive symptoms and C-IMT in middle-aged and older females.

High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in adults aged 50 years and older in Gwangju, Korea: the Dong-gu Study.

Vitamin D plays an important role in bone metabolism and maintaining bone health. Recently, new evidence has revealed that vitamin D affects chronic diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the vitamin D status and the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in an urban Korean population. This study included 8,976 participants (3,587 men and 5,389 women) aged 50 yr and older. Serum 25(OH)D level was measured by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL] was 59.7% and 86.5% in men and women, respectively. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency increased significantly with age in men, but not in women and it decreased from April to July, more prominently in men than in women. These results suggest that sun exposure, intake of vitamin D supplement, and regular physical activities is recommended in an urban Koreans, especially in women.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677 genotype-specific reference values for plasma homocysteine and serum folate concentrations in korean population aged 45 to 74 years: the Namwon study.

The reference interval for plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) and serum folate concentrations were estimated. Total of 3,154 reference individuals (1,029 men and 2,125 women) were selected based on stringent exclusion criteria. For plasma tHcy concentration (µM/L), reference values (median [5-95 percentile]) were 7.72 (5.03 to 13.80) and 6.09 (3.95-10.19) in men and women, respectively. For serum folate concentration (nM/L), reference values were 23.71 (11.73-38.44) and 28.95 (15.23-40.44) in men and women, respectively. The tHcy levels of both genders in the present study were lower than those in previous reports from other countries and Korea.

A 6-month exercise intervention clinical trial in women: effects of physical activity on multi-omics biomarkers and health during the first wave of COVID-19 in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in December 2019 and the first case in Korea was confirmed on January 20, 2020. Due to the absence of therapeutic agents and vaccines, the Korean government implemented social distancing on February 29, 2020. This study aimed to examine the effect of physical activity (PA) on health through changes in multi-omics biomarkers with a 6-month of exercise intervention during the first wave of COVID-19 in Korea. METHODS: Twenty-seven healthy middle-aged women were recruited and 14 subjects completed the exercise intervention. The mean age (± SD) was 46.3 (± 5.33) and the mean BMI (± SD) was 24.9 (± 3.88). A total of three blood and stool samples were collected at enrollment, after period 1, and after period 2 (3-month intervals). The amount of PA was measured with an accelerometer and by questionnaire. Clinical variables were used, including blood pressure, grip strength, flexibility, and blood glucose levels and lipid markers obtained from laboratory tests. The concentration of blood metabolites was measured by targeted metabolomics. Fecal microbiome data were obtained by 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. RESULTS: During the second half period (period 2), Coronavirus disease 2019 occurred and spread out in Korea, and PA decreased compared with the first half period (period 1) (185.9 ± 168.73 min/week to 102.5 ± 82.30 min/week; p = 0.0101). Blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) decreased in period 1 (p < 0.05) and tended to increase again during period 2 (p < 0.05). Forty metabolites were changed significantly during period 1 (FDR p < 0.05), and we found that 6 of them were correlated with changes in blood pressure, HbA1c, and LDL-C via network analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results may suggest that exercise improves health through changes in biomarkers at multi-omics levels. However, reduced PA due to COVID-19 can adversely affect health, emphasizing the necessity for sustained exercise and support for home-based fitness to maintain health. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is retrospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05927675; June 30, 2023).

Comparative analysis of body mass index and obesity-related anthropometric indices for mortality prediction: a study of the Namwon and Dong-gu cohort in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the associations between several obesity-related anthropometric indices and mortality in middle-aged and elderly populations to compare the indices' predictive ability with that of the body mass index (BMI). METHODS: We analyzed data on 12 indices calculated from 19,805 community-based cohort participants (average age, 63.27 years; median follow-up, 13.49 years). Each index was calculated using directly measured values of height, weight, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC). We calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each index using Cox regression and evaluated mortality prediction with the Harrell concordance index (c-index). RESULTS: Adding anthropometric indices to the basic mortality model (c-index, 0.7723; 95% CI, 0.7647 to 0.7799) significantly increased the predictive power of BMI (c-index, 0.7735; 95% CI, 0.7659 to 0.7811), a body shape index (ABSI; c-index, 0.7735; 95% CI, 0.7659 to 0.7810), weight-adjusted waist index (WWI; c-index, 0.7731; 95% CI, 0.7656 to 0.7807), and waist to hip index (WHI; c-index, 0.7733; 95% CI, 0.7657 to 0.7809). The differences between the BMI model and the other 3 models were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In predicting all-cause mortality, the ABSI, WWI, and WHI models based on WC or HC had stronger predictive power than conventional risk factors but were not significantly different from the BMI model.

Association of bone mineral density with albuminuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate: the Dong-gu Study.

BACKGROUND: Kidney dysfunction and albuminuria may be associated with BMD. However, little evidence has been reported on relationships between BMD and eGFR and albuminuria. METHODS: A total of 8,992 subjects aged 50 years or older participated in a survey conducted. Participants had their lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD measured by a Lunar Prodigy bone densitometer (GE, Madison, WI). Kidney function was assessed using MDRD eGFR and diagnosis of albuminuria was based on albumin-creatinine ratio. RESULTS: ACR was negatively associated with lumbar spine and femur neck BMD in females (lumbar spine: 1.001, 0.988, 0.974 and 0.979 g/cm(2), p < 0.001; femur neck: 0.796, 0.790, 0.783 and 0.782 g/cm(2), p = 0.002), but not in males, after adjusting for covariates. Additionally, eGFR was shown to be negatively associated with lumbar spine BMD after adjusting for covariates (male: 1.181, 1.166, 1.152 and 1.149 g/cm(2), p = 0.001; female: 0.997, 0.980, 0.979 and 0.982 g/cm(2), p = 0.005), but demonstrated no association with femur BMD. CONCLUSIONS: ACR in females was negatively associated with lumbar spine and femur neck BMD, but not in males. eGFR was negatively associated with lumbar spine BMD in both males and females.

Average volume of alcohol consumed, drinking patterns, and metabolic syndrome in older Korean adults.

BACKGROUND: Controversial results have been reported on the relationship between alcohol intake and metabolic syndrome (MetS). We examined the association of average volume of alcohol consumed and drinking patterns with MetS and its components. METHODS: This study was conducted as a baseline survey for the Dong-gu Study of adults aged 50 years or older. Drinking patterns were assessed using a structured interview, and average volume of alcohol consumed was calculated. MetS was defined according to the updated version of the National Cholesterol Education Program. RESULTS: Compared with individuals who never drank, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the prevalence of MetS was significantly higher in men who consumed 2.1 to 4.0 drinks/day (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.17-2.00) and greater than 4.0 drinks/day (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.23-2.14), whereas no significant association was observed in women. Significant dose-response relationships between average volume of alcohol consumed and all metabolic components were observed in men. A usual quantity of 5 to 6 drinks/drinking day (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.19-2.09), 7 or more drinks/drinking day (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.45-2.44), and binge drinking on at least 1 occasion/week (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.01-1.76) were associated with a significantly higher OR for prevalence of MetS in men; however, none of these drinking patterns were associated with MetS in women. CONCLUSIONS: Unhealthy drinking patterns such as high usual quantity and binge drinking were significantly associated with MetS, suggesting that the effect of alcohol consumption on MetS should be considered in the context of drinking pattern, particularly in men.