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Study: Older heavy drinkers not more likely to die from liver disease

SAN FRANCISCO — It is more likely that older adults will die from cancer or cardiovascular disease than liver-related causes, Jeoffrey Schouten, MD, said during a presentation here at The Liver Meeting.

Schouten and colleagues at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, also observed a beneficial effect on long-term survival from light to moderate alcohol intake in this population.

Researchers grouped 3,884 patients into four categories: non-drinkers (0 g to 0.7 g per day), light drinkers (10 g or less per day), moderate drinkers (10 g to 30 g per day) and heavy drinkers (more than 30 g per day).

Overall, 187 heavy drinkers died during follow-up. Specifically, 33.9% died of cancer-related causes, 28% died of cardiovascular-related causes, and 1% died from liver-related causes.

Disclosure: Schouten did not report any relevant financial disclosures.