Alcohol intake and Parkinson’s disease risk in the million women study

Alcohol intake may be associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD), but findings from previous studies have been inconclusive.
The objective of a study was to determine the association between alcohol intake and PD risk in the Million Women Study, a large, prospective study of women in the UK.
Between 1996 and 2001, approximately 1.3 million women in the UK with a mean age 56 years, were recruited into the Million Women Study. Information on alcohol intake, lifestyle factors, and medical history was collected at recruitment by questionnaire. Information on incident cases of PD was ascertained by record linkage to national hospital admission records and death registrations.
During an average of 17.9 years of follow-up, 11,009 women had a new record of PD. In drinkers, the multivariable-adjusted relative risk comparing” “women who drank more than 14 drinks of alcohol per week with women who drank 1 to 2 drinks of alcohol per week was 0.99 (95% confidence interval: 0.90, 1.10). Results did not materially change after excluding the first 10 years of follow- up (1.01; 95% confidence interval: 0.90, 1.13). There were no significant trends in alcohol-related PD risk among never smokers. Additionally, examining this association by type of alcohol intake also yielded null findings.
These results do not support an association between alcohol intake and PD risk in women. Source: Alcohol intake and Parkinson’s disease risk in the million women study.Kim IY, Yang TO, Heath AK, Simpson RF, Reeves GK, Green J, Floud S, Brown A, Hunter DJ, Beral V, Sweetland S; Million Women Study Collaborators. Mov Disord. 2019 Nov 26.