Objective:To investigate the relationship between alcohol intake and prevalence of diabetes mellitus(DM). Methods:Stratified sampling was used to select 4 000 permanent residents aged 40 years and above. All participants completed standardized questionnaire,physical examination and biochemical tests. Results:The total effective number was 3 970 and the prevalence of DM was 19.47%. The percentage of drinking was 41.2%,of which the male was 60.9%,the female was 30.9%;the percentage of male was significantly higher than that of female(P<0.05). The prevalence of newly diagnosed DM in small-amount drinking group(male 5.09%,female 4.26%) was lower than that of non-drinking group(male 9.17%,female 7.11%). The prevalence in large-amount drinking group(male 21.76%,female1 15.19%) was significantly higher than that of other three groups. The prevalence of previously diagnosed DM was decreased with the increase of drinking amount;the prevalence of large-amount drinking group was the lowest. In general,the prevalence of newly diagnosed DM in small-amount drinking group was lower than that of non-drinking group. The prevalence of large-amount drinking group was significantly higher than that of the other three groups. The prevalence of previously diagnosed DM in drinking groups was lower than that of non-drinking group. The levels of 2-hour postprandial glucose(2hPG) and hemoglobin A1C(HbA1C) in groups of small-amount and moderate-amount drinking groups were significantly lower than those of non-drinking group. In large-amount drinking group,the levels of fasting plasma glucose,2hPG and HbA1C were significantly higher than those of the other three groups;the level of cholesterol was significantly higher than that of small and moderate drinking group. The high-density lipoprotein was significantly lower than that of the other three groups,the low-density lipoprotein was significantly higher than that the other three groups(P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the group of small-amount drinking had a lower odds ratio for diabetes compared with that of non-drinking group(OR=0.641,95%CI=0.508 to 0.807),and it was a protective factor for diabetes even after the adjustment of gender,age,BMI,smoking,calorie intake,family history of diabetes. Conclusion:Small-amount drinking is a protective factor for DM. Large-amount drinking can increase the levels of blood glucose and blood lipid.