Table 3.

Characteristics of fasting blood samples in the low and high drinkers (Adjusted mean values with their standard errors; medians and quartiles)

	Low drinkers (n 39)	High drinkers (n 32)	P
	Adjusted mean	se	Median	Q1–Q3	Adjusted mean	se	Median	Q1–Q3	Group effect	Sex effect
Normal distribution: mixed ANOVA linear model
Cortisol (nmol/l)	545·0	21·6			459·2	25·5			0·012	< 0·001†
Creatinine (μmol/l)	80·1	1·4			74·5	1·7			0·013	< 0·001*
Haematocrit	0·412	0·003			0·408	0·004			NS	< 0·001*
Normality assumption rejected: non-parametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test
AVP (pmol/l)			2·4	1·8–3·4			1·5	1·1–1·9	< 0·001 (all visits)
Renin (pg/ml)			18·5	13·1–33·7			20·9	17·3–27·2	NS
Aldosterone (pmol/l)			406	277–604			477	296–699	NS
Posm (mOsm/kg)			289	284–294			288	284–293	NS

AVP, arginine vasopressin; Posm, plasma osmolality.

^* P values in males were significantly higher than those in females.

^† P values in females were significantly higher than those in males.