Alcohol intake, beverage type, and lung function

Researchers in China investigated whether alcohol intake contributes to lung function levels and which beverage type may have an effect. The results are published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
In the multicohort study of Chinese adults 3742 participants from the Wuhai-Zhuhai Cohort and 12,526 participants from the Dongfeng-Tongji Cohort were followed up for 3 and 5 years, respectively. Information on the type and daily amount of alcohol intake was collected through face-to-face interviews. Lung function was measured by trained physicians using electronic spirometers.
Compared with non drinkers, moderate alcohol intake was significantly associated with a 70.03 and 74.92 mL increase in FEV1 (The amount of air exhaled may be measured during the first second of forced breath) and FVC (is the total amount of air exhaled during the FEV test), after adjusting for covariates. With regard to beverage type, red wine was associated with a 105.31 and 98.91 mL increase in FEV1 and FVC, respectively. Moderate alcohol intake was also associated with a 53.37 and 66.17 mL increase in FEV1 and FVC for liquor, respectively, and a 106.90 and 103.62 mL increase for red wine. In the longitudinal analyses, moderate alcohol intake and red wine were associated with a 67.77 and 103.77 mL increase in FVC, respectively.
Moderate alcohol intake is associated with increased lung function, especially for red wine, the researchers find. They suggest that further studies are needed to investigate the potential mechanism.
Source: Wang D, Cao L, Zhou M, Ma J, Wang B, Yuan J, Chen W. Alcohol intake, beverage type, and lung function: a multicohort study of Chinese adults. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2022 Jan 25.