Wine Information Council
13 june 2014
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Patterns of Alcohol Consumption and Myocardial Infarction Risk: Observations from 52 Countries in the INTERHEART Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND: -While moderate alcohol use is associated with protection against myocardial infarction (MI), it is not known whether this effect is generalizable to populations worldwide. It is also uncertain whether differences in the pattern of alcohol use (and in particular heavy episodic consumption) between different regions negates any beneficial effect.

METHODS AND RESULTS: -We included 12,195 cases of first MI and 15,583 age- and sex-matched controls from 52 countries. Current alcohol use was associated with a reduced risk of MI (compared to non-users, adjusted odds ratio 0.87; 95% CI 0.80-0.94, p=0.001), however the strength of this assocation was not uniform across different regions (region-alcohol interaction p<0.001). Heavy episodic drinking (>/=6 drinks) within the preceding 24 hours was associated with an increased risk of MI (odds ratio 1.4; 95% CI 1.1-1.9, p=0.01). This risk was particularly elevated in older individuals (for age >65 years, odds ratio 5.3; 95% CI 1.6-18, p=0.008).

CONCLUSIONS: In most participants, low levels of alcohol use are associated with a moderate reduction in the risk of MI, however the strength of this association may not be uniform across different countries. An episode of heavy drinking is associated with an increased risk of acute MI in the subsequent 24 hours, particularly in older individuals.

Additional Info

  • Authors

    Leong D.P.; Smyth A.; Teo K.K.; McKee M.; Rangarajan S.; Pais P.; Liu L.; Anand S.S.; Yusuf S.

  • Issue

    Circulation, pii: CIRCULATIONAHA.113.007627. [Epub ahead of print]

  • Published Date

    13 june 2014

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