Robert Goulden1. 1. Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom. Electronic address: robertgoulden@hotmail.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A large body of research suggests that light or moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced all-cause mortality. However, concerns remain that the observed relationship is due to selection bias, misclassification of ex-drinkers, or residual confounding. METHODS: The association between alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality was analyzed using Cox regression. The analysis was performed using data from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal cohort of 24,029 individuals from a nationally representative sample of US adults aged more than 50 years. Drinking level was based on alcohol consumption measured at 3 points over the 4 years before the start of follow-up. Occasional drinkers-those who reported drinking on at least 1 occasion, but always less than once per week-served as the reference category. There was extensive adjustment for sociodemographic variables, health status, and functional status. RESULTS: During 206,966 person-years of follow up, 7902 individuals died. No level of regular alcohol consumption was associated with reduced all-cause mortality. The hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval in fully adjusted analyses was 1.02 (0.94-1.11) for <7 drinks/week, 1.14 (1.02-1.28) for 7 to <14 drinks/week, 1.13 (0.96-1.35) for 14 to <21 drinks/week, and 1.45 (1.16-1.81) for ≥ 21 drinks/week. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate alcohol consumption is not associated with reduced all-cause mortality in older adults. The previously observed association may have been due to residual confounding.
BACKGROUND: A large body of research suggests that light or moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced all-cause mortality. However, concerns remain that the observed relationship is due to selection bias, misclassification of ex-drinkers, or residual confounding. METHODS: The association between alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality was analyzed using Cox regression. The analysis was performed using data from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal cohort of 24,029 individuals from a nationally representative sample of US adults aged more than 50 years. Drinking level was based on alcohol consumption measured at 3 points over the 4 years before the start of follow-up. Occasional drinkers-those who reported drinking on at least 1 occasion, but always less than once per week-served as the reference category. There was extensive adjustment for sociodemographic variables, health status, and functional status. RESULTS: During 206,966 person-years of follow up, 7902 individuals died. No level of regular alcohol consumption was associated with reduced all-cause mortality. The hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval in fully adjusted analyses was 1.02 (0.94-1.11) for <7 drinks/week, 1.14 (1.02-1.28) for 7 to <14 drinks/week, 1.13 (0.96-1.35) for 14 to <21 drinks/week, and 1.45 (1.16-1.81) for ≥ 21 drinks/week. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate alcohol consumption is not associated with reduced all-cause mortality in older adults. The previously observed association may have been due to residual confounding.
Authors: Katherine M Keyes; Esteban Calvo; Katherine A Ornstein; Caroline Rutherford; Matthew P Fox; Ursula M Staudinger; Linda P Fried Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2019-07-05 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Kirsha S Gordon; Kathleen McGinnis; Cecilia Dao; Christopher T Rentsch; Aeron Small; Rachel Vickers Smith; Rachel L Kember; Joel Gelernter; Henry R Kranzler; Kendall J Bryant; Janet P Tate; Amy C Justice Journal: AIDS Behav Date: 2020-02
Authors: Sarah M Hartz; Mary Oehlert; A C Horton; Richard A Grucza; Sherri L Fisher; Robert C Culverhouse; Karl G Nelson; Scott W Sumerall; Paul C Neal; Patrice Regnier; Guoqing Chen; Alexander Williams; Jagriti Bhattarai; Bradley Evanoff; Laura J Bierut Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2018-10-03 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Lila E Mullany; Jennifer S Herrick; Roger K Wolff; John R Stevens; Martha L Slattery Journal: Cancer Causes Control Date: 2017-03-16 Impact factor: 2.506