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Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower chronic disease burden expressed in disability-adjusted life
Joline W J Beulens1,2, Heidi P Fransen1,3, Ellen A Struijk1
1Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Insights
Moderate alcohol consumption, defined as 5-14.9 g/day for women and 5-29.9 g/day for men, was linked to a lower chronic disease burden and approximately three months longer in good health compared to light drinking.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Alcohol consumption's impact on overall disease burden is debated due to conflicting effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer.
- Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are used to quantify the total disease burden, encompassing years lost to premature death and disability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between alcohol consumption levels and chronic disease burden, measured in DALYs.
- To analyze these associations using individual-participant data from a large prospective cohort.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study design utilizing data from 33,066 participants in the EPIC-NL cohort.
- Alcohol consumption assessed at baseline using a validated food-frequency questionnaire.
- Follow-up for 12.4 years to record chronic disease incidence, mortality, and calculate DALYs.
Main Results:
- Moderate drinkers (women: 5-14.9 g/day; men: 5-29.9 g/day) exhibited a significantly lower chronic disease burden (mean DALYs -0.27) compared to light drinkers (0-4.9 g/day).
- This reduction in DALYs was primarily driven by decreased cardiovascular disease burden, with no significant association observed for cancer.
- Associations were most pronounced in older participants (≥50 years) and not significant in younger women.
Conclusions:
- Moderate alcohol consumption may be associated with a longer duration of healthy life, particularly in older adults.
- The findings suggest a complex relationship between alcohol intake and disease burden, with potential benefits for cardiovascular health at moderate levels.
- Further research is warranted to understand the nuances of alcohol's impact across different age groups and sexes.
Abstract:
The relation of alcohol consumption with disease burden remains debated partly due to opposite associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. The relation of alcohol consumption with disease burden expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) summarizes opposing associations of alcohol consumption on chronic diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association of alcohol consumption with chronic disease burden expressed in DALYs based on individual-participant data. The study was a prospective study among 33,066 men and women from the EPIC-NL cohort. At baseline, alcohol consumption was assessed with a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Participants were followed for occurrence of and mortality from chronic diseases and DALYs were calculated. After 12.4 years follow-up, 6647 disease incidences and 1482 deaths were documented, resulting in 68,225 healthy years of life lost (6225 DALYs). Moderate drinkers (women 5-14.9 g/day, men 5-29.9 g/day) had a lower chronic disease burden (mean DALYs -0.27; 95% CI -0.43; -0.11) than light drinkers (0-4.9 g/day), driven by a lower disease burden due to CVD (-0.18: -0.29; -0.06) but not cancer (-0.05: -0.16; 0.06). The associations were most pronounced among older participants (≥50 years; -0.32; -0.53; -0.10) and not observed among younger women (-0.08; -0.43; 0.35), albeit non-significant (pinteraction > 0.14). Substantial drinking (women 15-29.9 g/day, men 30-59.9 g/day) compared to light drinking was not associated with chronic disease burden. Our results show that moderate compared to light alcohol consumption was associated with living approximately 3 months longer in good health. These results were mainly observed among older participants and not seen among younger women.