Behaviour-related risk factors and time to death among persons with alcohol consumption versus persons without

Evidence shows that low to moderate alcohol consumers live longer than abstainers. Insufficient consideration of subgroups among abstainers and of further behaviour-related risk factors for death might be reasons. A study compared alcohol lifetime abstainers, former drinkers, and current consumers with regard to mortality considering tobacco smoking, body overweight, and physical inactivity.
A general adult population sample of residents aged 18 to 64 had been drawn at random in northern Germany. Among eligible persons, 4,093 (70.2%) participated. Assessments included alcohol consumption by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption in addition to lifetime alcohol abstinence and former drinking. A score of behaviour-related risk factors was built from tobacco smoking, body overweight, and physical inactivity. Twenty years later, a mortality follow-up was conducted.
At baseline, former alcohol consumers but not current low to moderate alcohol drinkers had more behaviour-related risk factors than lifetime abstainers. At follow-up, former alcohol drinkers with two or more behaviour-related risk factors had a shorter time to death than lifetime abstainers with no or one behaviour-related risk factor (hazard ratio 3.43, 95% confidence interval: 1.63-7.20). Low to moderate alcohol drinkers did not survive longer than lifetime alcohol abstainers with no or one behaviour-related risk factor.
In this adult general population sample, the consideration of behaviour-related risk factors for early death in addition to alcohol lifetime abstinence and former drinking provided evidence that low to moderate alcohol consumers did not have a longer survival than lifetime abstainers with one or no behaviour-related health risk factors. The findings speak against the assumption that alcohol might have a beneficial effect on health and long life, the researchers conclude.
Source: John U, Rumpf HJ, Hanke M, Meyer C. Behaviour-related risk factors and time to death among persons with alcohol consumption versus persons without: A general population study with mortality follow-up after 20 years. Alcohol. 2024 May;116:47-52.