15 october 2014

Alcohol consumption for different periods in life, intake pattern over time and all-cause mortality

BACKGROUND: Conventionally, cohort studies have assessed the association between alcohol and all-cause mortality by using alcohol intake at enrolment.

METHODS: In the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study, participants were asked about 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. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios for mortality for 39 577 participants of the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study aged 40-69 at baseline.

RESULTS: After a mean follow-up of 15 years/person, we identified 4639 deaths. Associations between all-cause mortality and lifetime, current (baseline) and past intake were J shaped, with lower mortality at low intake (e.g. 0-39/>0-39 g/day) from age 20 to baseline age was associated with a 16% lower mortality, while heavy drinking at both ages (>/=80/>/=40 and >/=40/0 g/day) was associated with higher mortality compared with stable abstinence.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support a reduced mortality risk associated with low-dose drinking but also highlight a higher mortality risk for consistent heavy drinking from a young age.

Additional Info

  • Authors

    Jayasekara H.; Macinnis R.J.; Hodge A.M.; Hopper J.L.; Giles G.G.; Room R.; English D.R.
  • Issue

    J.Public Health (Oxf) pii: fdu082.
  • Published Date

    15 october 2014