| Citation |
| Prospective cohort |
22,071 men in Physicians' Health Study,
aged 40-84 years with no history of MI, stroke, transient ischemic attack,
or cancer |
<1 drink/wk;
1 drink/wk;
2–4 drinks/wk;
5–6 drinks/wk;
7–13 drinks/wk;
>14 drinks/wk |
all-cause mortality |
10.7 years |
Multivariate RR (age >52
y) <1 drink/wk 1.00; 1 drink/wk 0.81(0.63–1.03);
2–4 drinks/wk 0.71 (0.57–0.89);
5–6 drinks/wk 0.88 (0.69–1.12);
7–13 drinks/wk 1.02(0.86–1.22);
>14 drinks/wk 1.63 (1.23–2.14) |
95 percent confidence interval; P-value
for association - linear p=0.04; non-linear p<0.001 RR of cause-specific
mortality also provided. Cohort had exceptionally low mortality rate, only
34 percent of that expected in a general population of white men with same
age distribution during a similar period. |
| Prospective cohort |
8,006 Japanese-American men living in Hawaii,
between 45–68 years at initial examination in 1965–1968 |
occasionally; lightly; moderately; heavily |
overall mortality |
22 years |
J-shaped pattern in risk for intake of
alcohol; synergistic interaction between BMI and alcohol—Men with intermediate
BMI (21.21–26.30 kg/m2) and drank occasionally to lightly (0.01–24.99 oz/mo)
RR 1.00 (reference group); Men with lowest BMI (<21.21 kg/m2) and drank
moderately to heavily (>25 oz/mo) RR 1.63 (1.33–1.99) |
Synergistic interaction between BMI and
alcohol, p=0.0017; RR - 95 percent confidence interval Increase in risk due
to the interactive effect of low BMI and high alcohol intake was stronger
(and statistically significant) than when each of these risk factors was
considered separately |
| Prospective cohort |
42,910 adults 18 years and older; data from 1988 National
Health Interview Study linked with the National Death Index for 1988 through
1985 |
abstainers; infrequent drinkers; light; moderate |
mortality |
7.5 year followup |
Relative to lifetime abstainers and infrequent drinkers,
the risk of death from external causes increased directly with volume of
intake. No evidence for reduced risk of death among light or moderate drinkers. |
|
| |
37,682 U.S. adults age 25 years and older; data from
1988 National Health Interview Study linked with the National Death Index
for 1988 through 1985 |
lifetime abstainers; past-year abstainers; light; moderate;
heavy; very heavy |
all-cause mortality |
|
OR past-year abstainers 1.00; light 0.76 (0.68–0.84);
moderate 0.84 (0.74–0.96); very heavy 1.17 (0.93–1.47) |
95 percent confidence interval When lifetime abstainers
used as reference, the protective effect of moderate drinking fell short
of significance. When dependence was considered, light and moderate drinkers
without dependence had a reduced mortality risk regardless of reference group. |
| Prospective cohort |
1536 males aged 45–65 in 1965 in Northern and Central
Italy |
<12 g/d; 13–48 g/d; 49–84 g/d; 85–120 g/d; over 120
g/d |
age-adjusted life expectancy;
total mortality |
30 years |
Age-adjusted life expectancy (years+/-SE) <12 g/d–19.6+/-0.9;
13–48 g/d–20.9+/-0.5; 49–84 g/d–21.6+/-0.4; 85–120 g/d–19.4+/-0.6; over 120
g/d–20.6+/-0.2 |
Years+/-SE Taking smoking habit into account, longest
survival was observed in non-smokers drinking 4-7 drinks daily. Stratifying
for physical activity, the longest survival was in men engaged in heavy physical
activity at work drinking 1-4 drinks per day. |
| prospective cohort |
89,299 U.S. men from the Physicians' Health Study who
were age 40–84 years in 1982 and free of known MI, stroke, cancer or liver
disease |
rarely/never drinkers; 1 drink/wk; 2–4 drinks/ wk; 5–6
drinks/wk; 1 drink/d; > 2 drinks/d |
total mortality |
5.5 years of followup |
RR of total mortality rarely/never drinkers 1.00; 1
drink/wk 0.74; 2–4 drinks/ wk 0.77; 5–6 drinks/wk 0.78; 1 drink/d 0.82; >
or = 2 drinks/d 0.95 |
Total mortality significant at 95 percent CI, except
>or= 2 per day (0.79-1.14) CVD mortality L-shaped with apparent risk reductions
even at highest category of > or = 2 drinks per day; no clear harm or
benefit for total or common site-specific cancers |
| Prospective cohort |
15,400 representative sample of German population and
2,370 regional sample of the Berlin-Spandau, age 25–69 years |
0 g/d; 1–20 g/d; 21–40 g/d; 41–80 g/d; >80 g/d |
all-cause mortality |
7 years for Berlin-Spandau population |
All-cause mortality hazard ratio (HR) for men - 0 g/day
1.00; 1–20 g/d 0.51 (0.29–0.90); 21–40 g/d 0.90 (0.51–1.56); 41–80 g/d 0.93
(0.49–1.76); >80 g/d 0.44 (0.10–1.86); All-cause mortality hazard ratio
(HR) for women - 0 g/day 1.00; 1–20 g/d 0.83 (0.47–1.47); 21–40 g/d 1.29
(0.61–2.72); 41–80 g/d 0.81 (0.25–2.65); >80 g/d 4.20 (1.23–4.30) |
95 percent confidence interval 65 percent of men and
85 percent of women were light or moderate drinkers. |
| Prospective cohort |
112,528 U.S. men from the Physicians' Health Study, 1320
of whom reported a baseline history of stroke |
rarely or never drink; very light (<1 drink/d); light
(1–6 drinks/wk); moderate (> 1 drink/d) |
total mortality |
4.5 years |
RR rarely or never drink 1.00; <1 drink/d 0.88 (0.60–1.28);
1–6 drinks/wk 0.64 (0.48–0.85); > 1 drink/d 0.71(0.54–0.94) |
95 percent confidence interval; p=0.03 for trend RR
for cardiovascular mortality - very light 0.89 (0.58-1.36); light 0.56 (0.40-0.79);
moderate 0.64 (0.46-0.99); p=-0.008 for trend |
| Prospective cohort |
1071 and 1,013 women, age 45–65 years, from the Ausburg
region of Germany |
nondrinkers; drinkers (further divided by grams of alcohol/d) |
total mortality |
8 years |
Hazard rate ratio nondrinkers 1.00; drinkers 0.59 (0.36–0.97);
For different alcohol groups - 20–39.9 g/d 0.46 (0.20–0.80); > 80 g/day
1.04 (0.54–2.00) |
95 percent confidence interval Total mortality HRR showed
U-shaped curve. |
| prospective cohort |
40,000 persons with Caucasian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese,
and native Hawaiian ethnicity |
none, low alcohol intake (1–7 drinks/wk); higher levels
of intake (>7 drinks/wk) |
all-cause mortality |
20 years |
Men and women with low alcohol intake (1–7 drinks/wk)
had 20 percent reduction in total mortality. |
At higher levels of intake, women and Asian men experienced
no mortality benefit. |
| prospective cohort |
1,913 adults hospitalized with AMI between 1989 and
1994 in 45 U.S. community and tertiary care hospitals |
none; less than 7 drinks/wk; 7 or more drinks/wk; (1
drink = 15 g alcohol) |
all-cause mortality |
3.8 years |
Hazard ratio (full model) abstainers 1.00; <7 drinks
0.79 (0.60–1.03); > 7 drinks 0.68 (0.45–1.05) |
95 percent confidence interval, p=0.01 for trend |
| Prospective cohort |
5,358 men from Physicians' Health Study who reported
a history of MI and provided information on alcohol intake |
rarely/never drinkers; 1–4 drinks/ month; 2–6 drinks/wk;
1 drink/d; > 2 drinks/ d |
total mortality |
5 years |
Multivariate RR-age 65–84y rarely/never drinkers 1.00;
1–4 drinks/mo 0.84 (0.65-1.07); 2–6 drinks/wk 0.70 (0.54–0.91); 1 drink/day
0.81 (0.64–1.02); > 2 drinks/d 0.89 (0.55–1.47) |
95 percent confidence interval Total mortality and alcohol
association did not differ significantly by age classification (40-64 y vs.
65-84 y) |
| Prospective cohort |
18,973 residents in Eindhoven, Netherlands |
abstainers; light (1–14 units/wk); moderate (15–28 units/wk);
excessive (> or =29 units/wk) |
mortality |
|
light or moderate drinkers had lower mortality than either
abstainers or heavier drinkers |
|
| Prospective cohort |
1,235 men and 1,570 women age 60 years and over living
in Dubbo, New South Wales, first examined in 1988-89 |
zero consumption; 1–7 drinks/week; 8–14 drinks/wk; 15–28
drinks/wk, >28 drinks/wk (1 drink = 10 g alcohol) |
mortality |
116 months |
Hazard ratio: Men (60–74 y.o.) - no consumption 1.00;
1–7 drinks/wk 0.68 (.49–.94); 8–14 drinks/wk 0.58 (.39–.85); 15–28 drinks/wk
0.62 (.40–.95) >28 drinks/wk 0.56 (.33–.96); Women (60+ y.o.) - no consumption
1.00; 1–7 drinks/wk 0.78 (.61–.99); 8–14 drinks/wk 0.66 (.45–.97); 15–28
drinks/wk 0.67 (.29–1.55) |
95 percent confidence interval Any intake of alcohol
was associated with reduced mortality in men up to 75 years and in women
over 64 years. After almost 10 years follow-up, men taking any alcohol lived
on average 7.6 years longer and women on average 2.7 months longer, than
non-drinkers. Study also provides HR for pattern of alcohol intake. |
| Prospective cohort |
1,828 individuals age 18-65 years |
lifelong abstainers; ex-drinkers; <50 g/wk; <140
g/wk |
total mortality |
22 years |
RR compared with intake of wine less than once a week
or not at all – Intake of wine once a week or more 0.58 (0.40–0.84); RR compared
to lifelong abstainers and <50 g - ex-drinkers 2.64 (1.56-4.49) |
95 percent confidence interval |
| Prospective cohort |
490,000 people (251,420 women and 238,206 men)
age 30–104 in 1982 that were part of the Cancer Prevention Study II |
nondrinkers; less than daily (but at least 3/wk); remaining
reported in units per day (i.e. 1/day, 2/day, etc); (1 drink = 12 g alcohol) |
all-cause mortality |
9 years |
RR for 60-79 y.o. with low cardiovascular risk - nondrinkers
1.00; less than daily 0.8 (0.8–0.9); 1 drink/d 0.8 (0.8–0.9); 2 drinks/d
0.8 (0.8–0.9), 3 drinks/d 0.9 (0.9–1.0); > 4 drinks/d 1.0 (0.9–1.1); RR
for 60–79 y.o. with high cardiovascular risk - nondrinkers 1.00; less than
daily 0.8 (0.8–0.9); 1 drink/d 0.8 (0.8–0.8); 2 drinks/d 0.8 (0.8–0.8), 3
drinks/d 0.8 (0.7–0.9); > 4 drinks/d 0.8 (0.7–0.8) |
95 percent confidence interval |
| Prospective cohort |
2,032 Chinese subjects aged 70 years and older (mean
age 80 years) |
abstinence; occasional (less than once to up to twice
per week); regular (three of more times weekly) |
mortality |
3 years |
OR abstinence 1.00; occasional 0.625 (0.41,0.95); regular
0.684 (0.44,1.07) |
95 percent confidence interval - However not statistically
significant after adjusting for age and baseline self-perceived health |