29 October 2007
A new study has found drinking alcohol in moderation has only limited health benefits in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Monash University PhD student Linton Harriss and study co-authors used data from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort study to investigate the relationship between daily alcohol intake, beverage type and drinking frequency on CVD mortality.
The 11-year study involved 38,200 Melburnians, aged 40-69 years, in a project run by The Cancer Council Victoria. Participants were asked a range of questions relative to dietary intake, physical activity, education, medical history and social activity.
"Our findings show that the benefits of alcohol consumption are low, in a healthy population," Mr Harriss said.
For men, the study found a limited daily alcohol intake was not associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality, nor was any beverage type. However, men who drank alcohol in moderation regularly throughout the week had greater benefits than those drinking heavily only 1-2 days per week.
For women, usual daily alcohol intake was weakly associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality, with the apparent benefit coming mostly from wine.
Mr Harriss said the report contrasts with many earlier studies, which had grouped lifetime abstainers, former drinkers and occasional drinkers together despite evidence suggesting former and occasional drinkers reduced their alcohol intake for health reasons. These people are generally at higher risk of CVD, so including them in the same category as lifetime abstainers can skew the results to show more favourable effects of drinking alcohol.
"With this in mind, it is important to remember that alcohol also causes a great deal of harm in the community. This includes injuries and death from social and physical trauma, cancers of the lips, mouth, throat, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, bowel and breast, liver damage, dependency, high blood pressure and problems with newborn children," he said.
The results support recent National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) alcohol guidelines for low-risk drinking, which recommend two standard drinks or less in one day for men and women.
The NHMRC wants public feedback on the guidelines, which are available at the NHMRC website.
Co-authors of the paper include researchers from The Cancer Council Victoria, The University of Melbourne, University of Cambridge and St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne. The peer-reviewed paper was funded by grants from the NHMRC, VicHealth and the Australian Brewers Foundation. It was published in the October edition of Addiction.
For further information, contact Media Communications on +61 9905 2085. Copies of the paper are available on request.
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