Charles S. Fuchs, M.D., Meir J. Stampfer, M.D., Graham A. Colditz, M.B., B.S., Edward L. Giovannucci, M.D., JoAnn E. Manson, M.D., Ichiro Kawachi, M.B., Ch.B., David J. Hunter, M.B., B.S., Susan E. Hankinson, R.N., Sc.D., Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., Bernard Rosner, Ph.D., Frank E. Speizer, M.D., and Walter C. Willett, M.D.
Background Studies in men suggest that light-to-moderate alcoholintake is associated with a reduction in overall mortality,due primarily to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Amongwomen with similar levels of alcohol consumption, an increasedrisk of breast cancer has been noted that complicates the balanceof risks and benefits.
Methods We conducted a prospective study among 85,709 women,34 to 59 years of age and without a history of myocardial infarction,angina, stroke, or cancer, who completed a dietary questionnairein 1980. During the 12-year follow-up period, 2658 deaths weredocumented.
Results The relative risks of death in drinkers as comparedwith nondrinkers were 0.83 (95 percent confidence interval,0.74 to 0.93) for women who consumed 1.5 to 4.9 g of alcoholper day (one to three drinks per week), 0.88 (95 percent confidenceinterval, 0.80 to 0.98) for those who consumed 5.0 to 29.9 gper day, and 1.19 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.02 to 1.38)for those who consumed 30 g or more per day, after adjustmentfor other predictors of mortality. Light-to-moderate drinking(1.5 to 29.9 g per day) was associated with a decreased riskof death from cardiovascular disease; heavier drinking was associatedwith an increased risk of death from other causes, particularlybreast cancer and cirrhosis. The benefit associated with light-to-moderatedrinking was most apparent among women with risk factors forcoronary heart disease and those 50 years of age or older.
Conclusions Among women, light-to-moderate alcohol consumptionis associated with a reduced mortality rate, but this apparentsurvival benefit appears largely confined to women at greaterrisk for coronary heart disease.
Source Information
From the Channing Laboratory (C.S.F., M.J.S., G.A.C., E.L.G., J.E.M., I.K., D.J.H., S.E.H., C.H.H., B.R., F.E.S., W.C.W.) and the Division of Preventive Medicine (J.E.M., C.H.H., B.R.), Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; the Division of Medical Oncology, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute (C.S.F.); and the Departments of Epidemiology (M.J.S., G.A.C., D.J.H., S.E.H., C.H.H., W.C.W.), Nutrition (M.J.S., W.C.W.), Health and Social Behavior (I.K.), and Biostatistics (B.R.), Harvard School of Public Health — all in Boston.
Address reprint requests to Dr. Fuchs at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney St., Boston, MA 02115.
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