Table 1.
Selected demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of participants with non-excessive and excessive drinking
| Non-excessive drinkers (n = 51) | Excessive drinkers (n = 97) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 31.8 ± 9.3 | 40.9 ± 12.2 | < 0.01 |
| Males (n, %) | 45 (88) | 67 (70) | 0.01 |
| Race (Caucasian, n, %) | 43 (84) | 78 (80) | 0.12 |
| Smoking (n, %) | 29 (56%) | 74 (76%) | 0.01 |
| Height (cm) | 176.7 ± 7.1 | 175.1 ± 8.9 | 0.27 |
| Weight (kg) | 89.9 ± 15 | 85.5 ± 19.5 | 0.16 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28.7 ± 4.2 | 27.9 ± 6.2 | 0.38 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 98.1 ± 11.6 | 95.8 ± 12.9 | 0.30 |
| AUDIT-C scores | 4.2 ± 4.0 | 26.7 ± 7.3 | < 0.001 |
| Total standard drinks previous 30 days | 15.2 ± 15.2 | 241.2 ± 146.8 | < 0.001 |
| Average drinks per drinking day | 2.4 ± 2.2 | 12.2 ± 6.4 | < 0.001 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.0 ± 0.2 | 0.9 ± 0.2 | 0.11 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 4.2 ± 0.44 | 3.8 ± 0.4 | 0.001 |
| MCV (Fl) | 90.0 ± 3.9 | 92.6 ± 6.5 | 0.01 |
| AST (U/L) | 23.2 ± 10.2 | 29.8 ± 17.9 | 0.02 |
| ALT (U/L) | 29.7 ± 19.6 | 44.7 ± 17.7 | < 0.001 |
| GGT (U/L) | 35.2 ± 27.6 | 89.8 ± 9.2 | < 0.001 |
| %Carbohydrate deficient transferrin | 1.4 ± 0.8 | 2.6 ± 1.3 | < 0.01 |
| Percentage of body fat | 31.7 ± 5.7 | 29.7 ± 4.7 | 0.03 |
| Serum Pref-1 (ng/mL) | 0.13 ± 0.06 | 0.32 ± 0.13 | < 0.01 |
| Free fatty acid (mmol/L) | 0.42 ± 0.28 | 2.31 ± 0.78 | < 0.001 |
| Free fatty acid/serum albumin ratio | 0.1 ± 0.07 | 0.62 ± 0.23 | 0.0001 |
The levels of alcohol consumption were dichotomized into non-excessive and excessive drinking using the NIAAA definition.