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Beer, wine, spirits and subjective health
M Grønbaek1, E L Mortensen, K Mygind
1Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
|February 3, 2000
Summary
Light to moderate wine consumption is linked to better self-perceived health. Beer and spirits intake, however, did not show this positive association in this study on alcohol and subjective health.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Alcohol Consumption Research
Background:
- Subjective health is a key indicator of overall well-being and a predictor of future health outcomes.
- Understanding the relationship between different types of alcohol and self-perceived health can inform public health guidelines.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results regarding alcohol consumption and health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the intake of specific alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, spirits) and self-reported subjective health status.
- To determine if different patterns of alcohol consumption correlate with varying levels of perceived health.
- To control for confounding factors such as smoking, physical activity, and chronic disease.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional health survey data from the WHO Copenhagen Healthy City Survey in Denmark.
- Inclusion of 12,039 participants (4113 men, 7926 women) aged 18-100 years.
- Assessment of beer, wine, and spirits intake, alongside lifestyle factors and self-reported health.
Main Results:
- A J-shaped relationship was observed between total alcohol intake and suboptimal health.
- Heavy drinkers of any alcohol type reported poorer health compared to non-drinkers.
- Light to moderate wine consumption was associated with significantly lower odds of suboptimal health (OR 0.72-0.65).
- No significant association was found for moderate beer or spirits consumption and suboptimal health.
- Beer preference was linked to higher odds of suboptimal health compared to wine preference (OR 1.50).
Conclusions:
- Light to moderate wine intake appears to be associated with good self-perceived health.
- This positive association was not observed for beer or spirits consumption.
- The underlying causal mechanisms require further investigation to interpret the relationship between different alcoholic beverages and health outcomes.