Alcohol consumption can reduce the risk of gallstone disease

Clinical epidemiological studies have found that alcohol consumption has a preventive effect on the development of gallstone disease (GSD). A study published in the journal Gut and Liver, evaluated the relative risks of drinking for GSD development and investigated the dose-response relationships.
A systematic search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted to identify studies published up to 2018 that investigated the association between alcohol consumption and GSD development in patients with GSD, with or without cholecystitis. Sixteen case-control studies including 24,401 gallstone cases and 76,185 controls, and eight cohort studies with 14,693 GSD cases among 2,432,471 person-years were used for the meta-analysis.
The researchers found that alcohol consumption presented a decreased overall risk of GSD (pooled
relative ratio [RR], 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79 to 0.89; p=0.02). Subgroup analyses according to drinking levels indicated a gradual risk reduction for GSD compared to nondrinkers (light: RR, 0.96 95% CI; moderate: RR, 0.80; high: RR, 0.66). A nonlinear risk reduction was observed in a dose-response meta-analysis of all the studies.
The researchers conclude from the results of their meta-analysis that alcohol consumption could decrease the risk of GSD. In addition, the dose- response analysis revealed a dose-dependent linear risk reduction and a weakened linear trend between alcohol consumption levels less than and greater than 28 g/day.
Source: Alcohol Consumption Can Reduce the Risk of Gallstone Disease: A Systematic Review with a Dose- Response Meta-Analysis of Case-Control and Cohort Studies. Cha BH, Jang MJ, Lee SH. Gut and Liver 2019;
13(1): 114-131.