Associations between alcohol consumption patterns and risk of multiple myeloma

Among the potential modifiable risk factors, the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of multiple myeloma remains controversial. Researchers investigated the effects of weekly average alcohol consumption and drinking pattern on the risk of multiple myeloma using a nationwide representative database.
11,737,467 subjects who participated in the Korean National Health Screening Program in 2009 and 2010 were included and the risk of multiple myeloma according to weekly alcohol consumption, drinking frequency, and amount per session were calculated.
During a mean follow-up period of 6.8 years after a one-year time lag, 6,981 subjects (3,921 men and 3,060 women) were diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Compared with nondrinkers, all drinkers were at a significantly lower risk for multiple myeloma. The risk of multiple myeloma was reduced in a dose-dependent manner: mild drinkers [adjusted HR (aHR), 0.89; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.84–0.95], moderate drinkers (aHR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.76–0.91), and heavy drinkers (aHR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.69–0.85). Furthermore, both drinking frequency and amount per drinking session showed inverse association with the risk of multiple myeloma.
This large population-based study suggested an inverse dose-dependent association between total average alcohol consumption and the risk of multiple myeloma, and drinking frequency and amount per drinking session seemed to not differ in their relative contribution to the risk of multiple myeloma.
On the basis of the unprecedentedly large number of study population analyzed in this study, the study provides solid epidemiologic evidence of a significant protective effect of alcohol consumption on multiple myeloma risk.
Source: Keun Hye Jeon, Su-Min Jeong, Dong Wook Shin, Kyungdo Han, Dahye Kim, Jung Eun Yoo, Taewoong Choi; Associations between Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Risk of Multiple Myeloma: A Nationwide Cohort Study in South Korea. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1 March 2022; 31 (3): 670–678.