A lifetime moderate consumption pattern of alcoholic beverages is best for a reduced mortality risk of all-causes

An Australian study confirmed a consistent J-shaped relationship between lifetime, current and past consumption of alcoholic beverages and all-cause mortality, thus a lower mortality was observed at low-moderate levels and a higher mortality at higher levels of drinking compared to stable abstinence.

In most studies, the current alcohol consumption is assessed and very few studies measured lifetime consumption, however, the intake of alcoholic beverages is likely to vary over time. In the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study, almost 40,000 participants were asked about their usual frequency and quantity of beverage-specific alcohol intake for 10-year periods starting at age 20 from which current, past and lifetime intakes were calculated.

After an average follow up period of 15 years, the association between all-cause mortality and lifetime, current (baseline) and past intake were observed to be J-shaped. The Australian researchers concluded that a reduced mortality risk is associated with low-dose drinking but also highlights a higher risk of death for consistent heavy drinking from a young age.

Jayasekara H, MacInnis RJ, Hodge AM, et al. Alcohol consumption for different periods in life, intake pattern over time and all-cause mortality. J Public Health (Oxf). 2014 Oct 15. pii: fdu082. [Epub ahead of print]

For more information about this article, read the scientific abstract here.