Alcoholism, not frequent heavy episodic drinking may predict long-term risk of death

The current study examined how drinking patterns affect the long-term mortality risk.

The different health effects of alcoholism, the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed, and the drinking pattern on mortality in a general population sample are not clearly understood. Swedish and Danish researchers used a prospective population sample of 1,895 individuals, aged 18-65 years, in Stockholm County, to examine these associations. At baseline, there were 65 men and 21 women diagnosed with alcoholism. During the follow-up period, 873 deaths occurred in the studied population. The results demonstrated that alcoholism – but not a reported high consumption of alcoholic beverages or frequent heavy episodic drinking – predicted a long-term risk of death.

Lundin A, Mortensen LH, Halldin J, Theobald H. The Relationship of Alcoholism and Alcohol Consumption to All-Cause Mortality in Forty-One-Year Follow-up of the Swedish REBUS Sample. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2015 Jul;76(4):544-51.

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