A 13-year follow-up of social drinkers

In 1965-66 we examined 359 men in the workforce reporting an alcohol consumption ranging from nil to the equivalent of 11.4 L of beer a day. We found an association between reported drinking and the prevalence of hypertension and gout. Thirteen years later, we were able to trace 340 of these men; 39 of them had died. Survival curves showed that the heavier drinkers (those drinking more than: 1.14 L of beer a day) tended to die at an earlier age. Due to the relatively small numbers involved, the difference in mortality between the lighter and heavier drinkers was not statistically significant. We found no support for the theory that alcohol consumption affords protection against death from coronary heart disease.