The relationship between alcohol intake and falls hospitalisation

The relationship between habitual alcohol consumption and the risk of falls hospitalisation was evaluated in a study published in the August edition of Geriatric & Gerontology.
The study recruited 25,637 community dwelling adults aged 40-79 years from the EPIC-Norfolk prospective population-based cohort study. Units of alcohol consumed per week were measured using a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire. The main outcome was the first hospital admission following a fall.
Over a median follow-up period of 11.5 years, the cumulative incidence function (95% confidence interval) of hospitalised falls at 121-180 months for non-users, light (>0 to ≤7 units/week), moderate (>7 to ≤28 units/week) and heavy (>28 units/week) were 11.08 (9.94-12.35), 7.53 (7.02-8.08), 5.91 (5.29-6.59) and 8.20 (6.35-10.56), respectively. Moderate alcohol consumption was independently associated with a reduced risk of falls hospitalisation after adjustment for most major confounders (hazard ratio = 0.88; 95% confidence interval 0.79-0.99). The relationship between light alcohol consumption and falls hospitalisation was attenuated by gender differences. Alcohol intake higher than the recommended threshold of 28 units/week was associated with an increased risk of falls hospitalisation (hazard ratio 1.40 [1.14- 1.73]).
The study authors conclude that moderate alcohol consumption appears to be associated with a reduced risk of falls hospitalisation, and intake above the recommended limit is associated with an increased risk.
Source: Tan GJ, Tan MP, Luben RN, Wareham NJ, Khaw KT, Myint PK. The relationship between alcohol intake and falls hospitalization: Results from the EPIC-Norfolk. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2021 Aug;21(8):657-663..