Alcohol and Serious Consequences: Risks Increase Even With “Moderate” Intake

Risks of alcohol
consumption are generally associated with heavy drinking. To
examine the associations between consumption (including moderate
intake) and negative consequences, investigators conducted a meta-analysis
of 156 observational studies including 116,702 people.

• Risk increased
  significantly for drinkers, compared with non-drinkers, beginning
  at an intake of 25 g (< 2 standard drinks) per day for the
  following: cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx (relative risk,
  RR, 1.9), esophagus (RR 1.4), larynx (RR 1.4), breast (RR 1.3),
  liver (RR 1.2), colon (RR 1.1), and rectum (RR 1.1); liver cirrhosis
  (RR 2.9); essential hypertension (RR 1.4); chronic pancreatitis
  (RR 1.3); and injuries and violence (RR 1.1).
• Risks began
  to rise with any drinking and increased further with higher intake.
• The risk of
  coronary heart disease decreased significantly at 25 g per day
  (RR 0.8) and 50 g per day (RR 0.9), and increased at 100 g per
  day (RR 1.1).
• The risk of
  hemorrhagic stroke increased significantly at 50 g per day (RR
  1.8) and 100 g per day (RR 4.7); the risk of ischemic stroke
  increased at 100 g per day (RR 4.4).

Comments:

This study contributes
to our understanding of the risks and benefits of moderate drinking.
However, the relative risks do not tell us whether risks of
specific diseases outweigh overall health benefits of consumption,
and 25 g may be greater than amounts typically considered as moderate
(e.g., 1 drink per day). Further, these results could reflect
methodological limitations of the statistical models used. Nonetheless,
the data raise concern about the risks associated with moderate drinking.

Richard
Saitz, MD, MPH

Reference:

Corrao G, Bagnardi
V, Zambon A, et al. A meta-analysis of alcohol consumption and the
risk of 15 diseases. Prev Med. 2004;38(5):613–619.
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