Binge drinking and mortality among older adults

Researchers from Toronto University state that binge drinking is a growing public health concern among older adults, yet research has disproportionately focused on younger adults. Currently, the relationship between binge drinking and mortality among older adults represents a critical research gap. In a study published in the journal, Alcohol, they examined the association between binge drinking frequency and mortality among older adults; and assessed whether this relationship is attenuated by controlling for various sociodemographic and health factors.Data were drawn from the 2005-2014 Canadian Community Health Survey linked to the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database. The final sample of 129,470 adults was restricted to those aged 50 and older who reported consuming an alcoholic drink at least once per month. Binge drinking was measured by the question: “How often in the past 12 months have you had 5 or more drinks on one occasion?”. In the CCHS 2014 and 2015, the question changed to 4 drinks or more for women and 5 drinks or more for men. The associations between binge drinking and other potential covariates with the time to all-cause mortality were examined.
Most of the sample did not engage in binge drinking (60.1%), while 21.2% engaged in binge drinking less than once per month, 10.7% engaged in binge drinking one to three times per month, and 8.0% engaged in binge drinking once per week or more. Those who had never engaged in binge drinking in the preceding year had significantly lower mortality risk (HR = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.74-0.90) compared to those who engaged in binge drinking once a week or more after sociodemographics and health-related covariates were considered.
Binge drinking frequency is associated with an increased mortality risk among older adults. Targeted interventions and screening campaigns are needed to address binge drinking among older adults.
Source: Andie MacNeil, Yu Lung, Esme Fuller-Thomson, Binge drinking and mortality among older adults: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey linked to the Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database, Alcohol, Volume 131, 2026, Pages 38-45, ISSN 0741-8329,