OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of six determining variables on the shape of the risk curve between alcohol and all-cause mortality. DATA: Based on a systematic search with clear inclusion criteria, all articles on alcohol and all-cause mortality until 2000 were included. STATISTICAL METHODS: Precision-weighted pooling of relative risks (RRs); precision-weighted hierarchical analysis. VARIABLES: For pooling: RRs for different categories of average volume of drinking, lifetime abstainers and ex-drinkers. For hierarchical analysis: on first level: consumption in grams of pure alcohol per day; on second level: length of follow-up time in months; per capita consumption; average age, proportion of abstainers, average volume of drinking, and variability of average volume of drinking at baseline. OUTCOMES MEASURES: RR of former and current drinkers for all-cause mortality compared to abstainers. RESULTS: The main hypotheses could be confirmed for males: Ex-drinkers had a higher mortality risk than lifetime abstainers; the higher and the more diverse the average volume of alcohol consumption, the wider the dip of the curve; the older the persons at baseline, the more pronounced the protective effect; and the longer the follow-up time, the less pronounced the protective effect. Except for average volume of drinking effects for females went in the same direction but with one exception did not reach significance. CONCLUSIONS: There are systematic influences on the shape of the risk curve between alcohol and all-cause mortality. The overall beneficial effect of light to moderate drinking remained under all scenarios, indicating a high validity of the overall shape despite the heterogeneity between studies.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of six determining variables on the shape of the risk curve between alcohol and all-cause mortality. DATA: Based on a systematic search with clear inclusion criteria, all articles on alcohol and all-cause mortality until 2000 were included. STATISTICAL METHODS: Precision-weighted pooling of relative risks (RRs); precision-weighted hierarchical analysis. VARIABLES: For pooling: RRs for different categories of average volume of drinking, lifetime abstainers and ex-drinkers. For hierarchical analysis: on first level: consumption in grams of pure alcohol per day; on second level: length of follow-up time in months; per capita consumption; average age, proportion of abstainers, average volume of drinking, and variability of average volume of drinking at baseline. OUTCOMES MEASURES: RR of former and current drinkers for all-cause mortality compared to abstainers. RESULTS: The main hypotheses could be confirmed for males: Ex-drinkers had a higher mortality risk than lifetime abstainers; the higher and the more diverse the average volume of alcohol consumption, the wider the dip of the curve; the older the persons at baseline, the more pronounced the protective effect; and the longer the follow-up time, the less pronounced the protective effect. Except for average volume of drinking effects for females went in the same direction but with one exception did not reach significance. CONCLUSIONS: There are systematic influences on the shape of the risk curve between alcohol and all-cause mortality. The overall beneficial effect of light to moderate drinking remained under all scenarios, indicating a high validity of the overall shape despite the heterogeneity between studies.
Authors: K M Fillmore; J M Golding; K L Graves; S Kniep; E V Leino; A Romelsjö; C Shoemaker; C R Ager; P Allebeck; H P Ferrer Journal: Addiction Date: 1998-02 Impact factor: 6.526
Authors: E V Leino; A Romelsjö; C Shoemaker; C R Ager; P Allebeck; H P Ferrer; K M Fillmore; J M Golding; K L Graves; S Kniep Journal: Addiction Date: 1998-02 Impact factor: 6.526
Authors: Ulla A Hvidtfeldt; Janne S Tolstrup; Marianne U Jakobsen; Berit L Heitmann; Morten Grønbaek; Eilis O'Reilly; Katarina Bälter; Uri Goldbourt; Göran Hallmans; Paul Knekt; Simin Liu; Mark Pereira; Pirjo Pietinen; Donna Spiegelman; June Stevens; Jarmo Virtamo; Walter C Willett; Eric B Rimm; Alberto Ascherio Journal: Circulation Date: 2010-03-29 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: William C Kerr; Camillia K Lui; Edwina Williams; Yu Ye; Thomas K Greenfield; E Anne Lown Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2017-01-07 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Charles J Holahan; Kathleen K Schutte; Penny L Brennan; Carole K Holahan; Rudolf H Moos Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2014-03-03 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Sonsoles Fuentes; Usama Bilal; Iñaki Galán; Joan R Villalbí; Albert Espelt; Marina Bosque-Prous; Manuel Franco; Mariana Lazo Journal: Eur J Public Health Date: 2017-08-01 Impact factor: 3.367