NEW YORK, Jan 21 (Reuters Health) -- Recent research has highlighted
possible benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, such as reducing the risk of
heart disease and stroke. However, alcoholics -- people who are dependent on
alcohol and drink heavily -- do not enjoy these benefits, according to a new
report.
While researchers have long suspected these results, this study is the
first to document that the benefits associated with alcohol decline as both
consumption and dependency increase, explains study author Dr. Deborah A.
Dawson, a statistician with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda,
Maryland.
"These findings revealed that among nondependent drinkers, light and
moderate drinking was protective and heavier drinking did not significantly
affect the risk of dying; among dependent drinkers, the effect of alcohol
consumption was never protective and often increased the risk of death," Dawson
reports.
Heavy drinking can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, certain types of
cancer, and accident-related traumas.
The study results, published in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical
& Experimental Research, also suggest that the choice of alcoholic beverage
could affect mortality. According to the study, dependent drinkers consumed less
of their intake from wine.
"In view of studies that have found a protective effect of light or
moderate wine consumption... this suggests that beverage preference might be
another factor associated with dependence being a positive risk factor for
mortality," Dawson writes.
The study examined the association between alcohol intake and mortality.
Dawson matched information collected through the 1988 National Health Interview
Survey Alcohol Supplement for 37,682 US adults 25 years and older, with
information on 3,586 deaths listed in the National Death Index from 1988 to
1995, the most recent year available.
The researcher defined light drinking as 1 to 3 drinks a week; moderate
drinking as between 3 drinks a week to 2 drinks a day; heavy drinking as 2 to 4
drinks a day; and very heavy drinking as more than 4 drinks a day.
Dawson adjusted for factors that could influence the effect of alcohol on
mortality such as age, gender, race and ethnicity, marital status, education,
income, employment status, body mass index, smoking status, and poor health.
Results showed that light and moderate drinking could have protective
health effects although the reasons remain unclear. Experts also note that the
lifestyles of light to moderate drinkers may also play a role. "Light and
moderate drinkers are different people than abstainers and heavy drinkers,"
suggests Mary C. Dufour, deputy director of NIH's National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism, in a statement. "They're more likely to exercise and be at
their ideal body weight, more likely to get 8 hours of sleep at night, and more
likely to eat a balanced diet."
