Moderation
Alcohol consumption and accelerated biological ageing in middle-aged and older people
Alcohol consumption and accelerated biological ageing in middle-aged and older people
The relationship between alcohol consumption and age-related diseases is inconsistent. Biological age (BA) serves as both a precursor and a predictor of age-related diseases; however, longitudinal associations between alcohol consumption and BA in middle-aged and older people remain unclear. A study measured whether there was a longitudinal association between drinking frequency and pure alcohol intake with BA among middle-aged and older people.
Based on two prospective cohort studies, the research was set in Southwestern China and the UK. 8,046 participants from the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort study (CMEC) and 5,412 participants from the UK Biobank (UKB), aged 30–79 years, took part, with complete data from two waves of clinical biomarkers.
BA was calculated by the Klemera Doubal’s method. Accelerated BA equalled BA minus chronological age. Drinking frequency and pure alcohol intake were obtained through self-reported questionnaires and was classified as current non-drinking, occasional (monthly drinking) and regular (weekly drinking).
Compared with consistent current non-drinkers, more frequent drinkers [CMEC: β = 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.13–0.80; UKB: β = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.01–1.29)], less frequent drinkers (CMEC: β = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.37–0.87; UKB: β = 0.54, 95% CI = −0.01–1.09), consistent occasional drinkers (CMEC: β = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.23–0.79; UKB: β = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.13–1.13) and consistent regular drinkers (CMEC: β = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.17–0.95; UKB: β = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.00–0.91) exhibited increased accelerated BA. A non-linear relationship between pure alcohol intake and accelerated BA was observed among consistent regular drinkers.
In middle-aged and older people, any change in drinking frequency and any amount of pure alcohol intake seem to be positively associated with acceleration of biological ageing, compared with maintaining abstinence.
Source: Chen H, Yin J, Xiang Y, Zhang N, Huang Z, Zhang Y, et al. (2024) Alcohol consumption and accelerated biological ageing in middle-aged and older people: A longitudinal study from two cohorts. Addiction. 2024.