Relationships of Cigarette Smoking and Alcohol Consumption to Metabolic Syndrome in Japanese Men

Background Cigarette smoking is an important, aggravating factor in metabolic syndrome (MetS). In addition, some studies have reported that MetS is related to alcohol consumption irrespective of the amount consumed. However, the relationship of the combination of the 2 habits to MetS has not been fully described. Methods In this cross-sectional survey, a questionnaire was used to collect information on cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption from 3904 Japanese men aged 20 years or older. MetS was defined according to Japanese criteria. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze relationships of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption with MetS, after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Results Among the subjects, 581 (14.9%) had MetS. Daily cigarette and alcohol consumption were significantly associated with the prevalence of MetS (P < 0.0001, P = 0.030 for trend). The multivariate-adjusted odds ratio for the prevalence of MetS was 1.89 (95% confidence interval: 1.34–2.65) for subjects who smoked ≥30 cigarettes/day, as compared with nonsmokers; 1.54 (1.06–2.23) for those who consumed ≥69 grams of ethanol/day, as compared with nondrinkers; and 3.63 (1.91–6.90) for those who smoked ≥30 cigarettes/day and consumed ≥69 grams of ethanol/day, as compared with those who neither smoked nor drank. The interaction of smoking ≥30 cigarettes/day with drinking ≥69 grams/day was 2.03 (1.02–4.01, P = 0.043). Conclusions Cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking had independent relations to the prevalence of MetS. In addition, the prevalence of MetS was higher among Japanese men who smoked and drank heavily.