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Inconsistent alcohol consumption increases risk for CHD
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Adults who recently stopped drinking alcohol or had abstained from it for a longer period of time had an increased risk for CHD compared with those who consistently drank in moderation, according to a study published in BMC Medicine.
“Given that heavy drinkers are known to be under sampled in population level surveys, interpretation of the absence of effect among heavy drinkers in the current study should be done very cautiously, particularly in light of the known wider health impact of heavy alcohol intake levels,” Dara O’Neill, PhD, research associate at University College London, said in a press release.
Researchers analyzed data from 35,132 adults (mean age, 57-62 years; 62% men) from five British cohort studies and one French cohort, all which included data on three assessments of alcohol intake from an approximate 10-year interval, in addition to covariate and CHD outcome data. Patients were excluded if they had a CHD event before the study baseline.
Lower-risk drinking was defined as a maximum alcohol intake level of 168 g for men and 112 g for women.
The primary endpoint was CHD incidence. The secondary outcome of interest in supplementary analyses was CHD mortality. Patients were followed up for a mean of 12.6 years.
During follow-up, 4.9% of patients had a fatal or nonfatal CHD event.
Compared with patients who were consistent moderate drinkers, those who inconsistently drank moderately had a significantly increased risk for incident CHD (HR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.02-1.37). This increased risk was also seen in patients who formerly drank (HR = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.13-1.52) and those who consistently did not drink (HR = 1.47; 95% CI, 1.21-1.78).
After stratifying for sex, only women who were consistent nondrinkers had an increased risk for incident CHD.
A significantly increased risk for fatal CHD was seen in patients who were former drinkers (HR = 1.54; 95% CI, 1.07-2.22) after adjusting for confounding factors. The HR for patients who were consistent nondrinkers was similar (HR = 1.52; 95% CI, 0.97-2.38).
There was some evidence that patients who were inconsistent heavy drinkers had an increased risk for a fatal CHD event (HR = 1.53; 95% CI, 0.99-2.37), although it did not achieve statistical significance. The association was weaker after adjusting for socioeconomic status and smoking status (HR = 1.36; 95% CI, 0.87-2.11).
“Our findings provide additional insight into the potential cardioprotective effect of moderate alcohol intake and indicate that consistency of intake levels is a relevant consideration in cardiovascular risk assessments, and in related health education efforts,” O’Neill and colleagues wrote. – by Darlene Dobkowski
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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