BACKGROUND: Based on findings of increasing alcohol consumption in older adults, it is important to clarify the health consequences. Using data from the Tromsø study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between different levels of alcohol consumption in old adulthood and self-rated health trajectories and all-cause mortality. METHODS: This is an epidemiological study utilizing repeated measures from the Tromsø study cohort. It allows follow-up of participants from 1994 to 2020.
A total of 24,590 observations of alcohol consumption were made in older adults aged 60-99 (53% women). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-rated health (SRH) and all-cause mortality. SRH was reported when attending the Tromsø study. Time of death was retrieved from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry. The follow-up time extended from the age of study entry to the age of death or end of follow-up on November 25, 2020. PREDICTOR: Average weekly alcohol consumption (non-drinker, < 100 g/week, ≥ 100 g/week). We fitted two-level logistic random effects models to examine how alcohol consumption was related to SRH, and Cox proportional hazards models to examine its relation to all-cause mortality.
Both models were stratified by sex and adjusted for sociodemographic factors, pathology, biometrics, smoking and physical activity. In addition, all the confounders were examined for whether they moderate the relationship between alcohol and the health-related outcomes through interaction analyses. RESULTS: We found that women who consumed ≥ 100 g/week had better SRH than those who consumed < 100 g/week; OR 1.85 (1.46-2.34). This pattern was not found in men OR 1.18 (0.99-1.42). We identified an equal mortality risk in both women and men who exceeded 100 g/week compared with those who consumed less than 100 g/week; HR 0.95 (0.73-1.22) and HR 0.89 (0.77-1.03), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There was no clear evidence of an independent negative effect on either self-rated health trajectories or all-cause mortality for exceeding an average of 100 g/week compared to lower drinking levels in this study with up to 25 years follow-up.
However, some sex-specific risk factors in combination with the highest level of alcohol consumption led to adverse effects on self-rated health. In men it was the use of sleeping pills or tranquilisers and ≥ 20 years of smoking, in women it was physical illness and older age.
BACKGROUND: Most of the available epidemiological evidence on alcohol and chronic disease agrees on recommending alcohol abstention to young people, but some controversy exists about the most appropriate recommendation for alcohol abstention for people of older ages. A growing body of evidence suggests that the pattern of alcohol consumption is likely to be a strong effect modifier. The Mediterranean Alcohol Drinking Pattern (MADP) represents a score integrating several dimensions of drinking patterns (moderation, preference for red wine, drinking with meals, and avoiding binge drinking). Our aim was to clarify this issue and provide more precise recommendations on alcohol consumption.
METHODS: We prospectively followed-up 2226 participants (men older than 50 years and women older than 55 years at baseline) in the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) cohort. We classified participants into three categories of adherence to the MADP score (low, moderate, and high), and we added a fourth category for abstainers. Cox regression models estimated multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of all-cause death and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using low MADP adherence as the reference category. RESULTS: The strongest reduction in risk of mortality was observed for those with high adherence to the MADP, with an HR of 0.54 (95% CI: 0.37-0.80). The moderate adherence group (HR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.44-0.96) and the abstention group (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.36-0.98) also exhibited lower risks of mortality than the low MADP adherence group.
CONCLUSIONS: based on the available evidence, a public health message can be provided to people older than 50 years as follows: among those who drink alcohol, high adherence to the MADP score could substantially reduce their risk of all-cause mortality.
Alcohol drinking patterns may determine the risk of hypertension and may also modify the detrimental effect of high alcohol intake. We prospectively evaluated the effect of the Mediterranean alcohol-drinking pattern and its interaction with the amount of alcohol consumed on the incidence of arterial hypertension. In the "Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra" (SUN) cohort, we followed-up 13,805 participants, all of them initially free of hypertension, during a maximum period of 16 years.
Information about diet, chronic diseases, lifestyle and newly diagnosed hypertension was collected using validated questionnaires. We used a 7-item score (0 to 9 points) that jointly considered moderate alcohol consumption, distributed over the week, with meals, and a preference for red wine and avoidance of binge-drinking.
During 142,404 person-years of follow-up, 1443 incident cases of hypertension were identified. Low adherence (score < 2) to the Mediterranean alcohol-drinking pattern was significantly associated with a higher incidence of hypertension (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio 1.81, 95% confidence interval 1.09-2.99) as compared to the high-adherence (score > 7) category. Among alcohol consumers, a high adherence to the MADP is associated with a lower incidence of hypertension. Compared with abstinence, a high adherence did not seem to differ regarding its effect on hypertension risk.
Excessive consumption of alcohol is not only a social problem, but it also significantly increases the morbidity and mortality rates of many societies. A correlation has been demonstrated between alcohol consumption and increased mortality from cancer, accidents and injuries, liver cirrhosis and other causes. Alcohol abuse increases the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke and the risk of ischemic stroke, induces serious arrhythmias, adversely affects blood pressure and damages the heart muscle. The dose and way of drinking alcohol play a crucial role in assessing whether this drink allows people to maintain health or whether it is a great health and social threat. The beneficial effects of low and moderate doses of alcohol on the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases have been shown in many population studies and meta-analyses in which the effect of U-shaped or J-shaped curves relating alcohol intake to cardiovascular mortality was observed, especially in ischemic heart disease. However, due to the fact that alcohol consumption is associated with many health hazards, it is not recommended to consume it as a preventive action of cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, recent studies suggest that association of low-to-moderate alcohol consumption with the reduction in cardiovascular risk is a result of lifestyle changes and that any reduction in alcohol consumption is in fact beneficial in terms of general health.