# Diabetes and Obesity Modify the Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Carbohydrate‐Deficient Transferrin

## TL;DR

This study shows that obesity and diabetes can reduce the accuracy of a blood test used to detect heavy alcohol consumption.

## Contribution

The study reveals that metabolic conditions like obesity and diabetes interact with alcohol consumption to affect carbohydrate-deficient transferrin levels.

## Key findings

- CDT levels in heavy drinkers were lower in individuals with obesity or diabetes compared to lean or normoglycaemic individuals.
- Transferrin glycoforms were not significantly linked to the development of type 2 diabetes over a 7.4-year follow-up.
- The sensitivity of CDT as a marker for alcohol abuse may be reduced in people with obesity or diabetes.

## Abstract

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.

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.

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.

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.

There is an interaction between alcohol consumption and factors associated with insulin resistance in relation to transferrin sialylation. The sensitivity of carbohydrate‐deficient transferrin for detecting heavy alcohol consumption might be limited in patients with obesity or diabetes.