Relation between Average Alcohol Consumption and Disease: An Overview

Objective: To conduct an overview of alcohol-related health consequences and to estimate relative risk for chronic consequences and attributable fractions for acute consequences. Methods: Identification of alcohol-related consequences was performed by means of reviewing and evaluating large-scale epidemiological studies and reviews on alcohol and health, including epidemiological contributions to major social cost studies. Relative risks and alcohol-attributable fractions were drawn from the international literature and risk estimates were updated, whenever possible, by means of meta-analytical techniques. Results: More than 60 health consequences were identified for which a causal link between alcohol consumption and outcome can be assumed. Conclusions: Future research on alcohol-related health consequences should focus on standardization of exposure measures and take into consideration both average volume of consumption and patterns of drinking.

[1]  P. Allebeck.  [Alcohol consumption and mortality]. , 2002, Lakartidningen.

[2]  S. Gardner,et al.  Alcohol consumption during pregnancy , 2012 .

[3]  G. Gmel,et al.  Average Volume of Alcohol Consumption, Drinking Patterns and Related Burden of Mortality in Young People in Established Market Economies of Europe , 2001, European Addiction Research.

[4]  G. Gmel,et al.  Steps towards Constructing a Global Comparative Risk Analysis for Alcohol Consumption: Determining Indicators and Empirical Weights for Patterns of Drinking, Deciding about Theoretical Minimum, and Dealing with Different Consequences , 2001, European Addiction Research.

[5]  M. Ramstedt.  Alcohol and suicide in 14 European countries. , 2001, Addiction.

[6]  G Gmel,et al.  Revising the preventive paradox: the Swiss case. , 2001, Addiction.

[7]  G. Gmel,et al.  Mapping the social consequences of alcohol consumption. , 2001 .

[8]  J. Rehm,et al.  Accidents, suicide and violence , 2001 .

[9]  K. Pernanen.  What is meant by ‘alcohol-related’ consequences? , 2001 .

[10]  G. Gmel,et al.  Alcohol consumption and social harm: quantitative research methodology , 2001 .

[11]  J Rehm,et al.  Average volume of alcohol consumption, patterns of drinking, and all-cause mortality: results from the US National Alcohol Survey. , 2001, American journal of epidemiology.

[12]  G Corrao,et al.  Alcohol and coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis. , 2000, Addiction.

[13]  I. Godsland,et al.  Alcohol consumption and insulin resistance in young adults , 2000, European journal of clinical investigation.

[14]  Tim Stockwell,et al.  INTERNATIONAL GUIDE FOR MONITORING ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND RELATED HARM , 2000 .

[15]  J. Kampert,et al.  Alcohol intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes in men. , 2000, Diabetes care.

[16]  J. Buring,et al.  Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption and the risk of stroke among U.S. male physicians. , 1999, The New England journal of medicine.

[17]  G. Corrao,et al.  Exploring the dose-response relationship between alcohol consumption and the risk of several alcohol-related conditions: a meta-analysis. , 1999, Addiction.

[18]  C. Murray,et al.  On the comparable quantification of health risks: lessons from the Global Burden of Disease Study. , 1999, Epidemiology.

[19]  G. Davey Smith,et al.  Alcohol consumption and mortality from all causes, coronary heart disease, and stroke: results from a prospective cohort study of Scottish men with 21 years of follow up , 1999, BMJ.

[20]  S. D. Lee,et al.  The risk factors for gallstone disease among senior citizens: an Oriental study. , 1999, Hepato-gastroenterology.

[21]  S. Dimmitt,et al.  Influence of pattern of drinking on cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors--a review. , 1999, Addiction.

[22]  J Rehm,et al.  Morbidity and mortality attributable to alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use in Canada. , 1999, American journal of public health.

[23]  M. Longnecker.  Invited Commentary: The Framingham Results on Alcohol and Breast Cancer , 1999 .

[24]  L. Cupples,et al.  Alcohol consumption and risk of breast cancer: the Framingham Study revisited. , 1999, American journal of epidemiology.

[25]  W. Hauser,et al.  The Protective Effect of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on Ischemic Stroke , 1999 .

[26]  J. Rehm,et al.  Evidence Regarding the Level of Alcohol Consumption Considered to be Low-Risk for Men and Women , 1999 .

[27]  I. Macdonald,et al.  Health issues related to alcohol consumption , 1999 .

[28]  M. Longnecker.  The Framingham results on alcohol and breast cancer. , 1999, American journal of epidemiology.

[29]  R. Sacco,et al.  The protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption on ischemic stroke. , 1999, JAMA.

[30]  K. Poikolainen.  It can be bad for the heart, too--drinking patterns and coronary heart disease. , 1998, Addiction.

[31]  C. la Vecchia,et al.  Diet, alcohol, coffee and pancreatic cancer: final results from an Italian study , 1998, European journal of cancer prevention : the official journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation.

[32]  R Doll,et al.  The benefit of alcohol in moderation. , 1998, Drug and alcohol review.

[33]  L. Kolonel,et al.  Alcohol Intake, Body Weight, and Mortality in a Multiethnic Prospective Cohort , 1998, Epidemiology.

[34]  M. Hillbom.  Alcohol consumption and stroke: benefits and risks. , 1998, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[35]  R. Waldherr,et al.  Cell proliferation and its evaluation in the colorectal mucosa: effect of ethanol. , 1998, Zeitschrift fur Gastroenterologie.

[36]  M J Eckardt,et al.  Effects of moderate alcohol consumption on the central nervous system. , 1998, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

[37]  G. Corrao,et al.  Meta-analysis of alcohol intake in relation to risk of liver cirrhosis. , 1998, Alcohol and alcoholism.

[38]  P. Jallon,et al.  Crises épileptiques, épilepsies et facteurs de risque : Expérience d'une enquête en Martinique , 1998 .

[39]  E. Scafato,et al.  Diet and gallstones in italy: The cross‐sectional MICOL results , 1998, Hepatology.

[40]  K. Svärdsudd,et al.  Moderate alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease: is there evidence for a preventive effect? , 1998, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[41]  U. Ringborg.  Alcohol and risk of cancer. , 1998, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[42]  K. Thakker,et al.  An overview of health risks and benefits of alcohol consumption. , 1998, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[43]  M. Rosenqvist.  Alcohol and cardiac arrhythmias. , 1998, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[44]  E P Riley,et al.  A review of the neuroanatomical findings in children with fetal alcohol syndrome or prenatal exposure to alcohol. , 1998, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[45]  C. la Vecchia,et al.  Attributable risk for symptomatic liver cirrhosis in Italy. Collaborative Groups for the Study of Liver Diseases in Italy. , 1998, Journal of hepatology.

[46]  F. Speizer,et al.  Alcohol and breast cancer in women: a pooled analysis of cohort studies. , 1998, JAMA.

[47]  E. Wynder,et al.  A Case/Control Study of Risk Factors for Major Salivary Gland Cancer , 1998, Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

[48]  P. Allebeck,et al.  Alcohol consumption and mortality. III. Studies of female populations. , 1998, Addiction.

[49]  T. Einarson,et al.  Moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the incidence of fetal malformations: a meta-analysis. , 1998, Neurotoxicology and teratology.

[50]  S. Schenker,et al.  Alcohol and the pancreas. , 1998, Recent developments in alcoholism : an official publication of the American Medical Society on Alcoholism, the Research Society on Alcoholism, and the National Council on Alcoholism.

[51]  H. Morrison,et al.  Monograph series on aging-related diseases: X. Prostate cancer. , 1998, Chronic diseases in Canada.

[52]  R. Moos,et al.  First-time admissions with alcohol-related medical problems: a 10-year follow-up of a national sample of alcoholic patients. , 1998, Journal of studies on alcohol.

[53]  H. Friedman.  Cardiovascular effects of alcohol. , 1998, Recent developments in alcoholism : an official publication of the American Medical Society on Alcoholism, the Research Society on Alcoholism, and the National Council on Alcoholism.

[54]  C. Lieber,et al.  Alcohol and lipids. , 1998, Recent developments in alcoholism : an official publication of the American Medical Society on Alcoholism, the Research Society on Alcoholism, and the National Council on Alcoholism.

[55]  D. Weed,et al.  Review of epidemiologic studies of alcohol and prostate cancer: 1971-1996. , 1998, Nutrition and cancer.

[56]  H. Iso,et al.  Alcohol intake and premature coronary heart disease in urban Japanese men. , 1998, American journal of epidemiology.

[57]  Alan D. Lopez,et al.  Alcohol consumption and mortality among middle-aged and elderly U.S. adults. , 1997, The New England journal of medicine.

[58]  S. Passik,et al.  Alcohol and cancer: a review for psycho‐oncologists , 1997, Psycho-oncology.

[59]  T. Sellers,et al.  Smoking, alcohol, coffee, and tea intake and incidence of cancer of the exocrine pancreas: the Iowa Women's Health Study. , 1997, Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology.

[60]  D. Delis,et al.  Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure with or without physical features of fetal alcohol syndrome leads to IQ deficits. , 1997, The Journal of pediatrics.

[61]  P. Scuffham,et al.  The social costs of alcohol abuse in New Zealand. , 1997, Addiction.

[62]  T. Raghunathan,et al.  Alcohol consumption and changes in blood pressure among African Americans. The Pitt County Study. , 1997, American journal of epidemiology.

[63]  J. McNeil,et al.  Risk factors for stroke due to cerebral infarction in young adults. , 1997, Stroke.

[64]  A. Trentham-Dietz,et al.  Alcohol consumption in relation to endometrial cancer risk. , 1997, Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology.

[65]  M. C. Leske,et al.  Breast cancer risk and alcohol consumption: results from a large case-control study. , 1997, International journal of epidemiology.

[66]  C. Sempos,et al.  Alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality. , 1997, American journal of epidemiology.

[67]  S. Swan,et al.  Moderate Maternal Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Spontaneous Abortion , 1997, Epidemiology.

[68]  Y. Yu,et al.  Risk factors for bladder cancer: a case-control study in northeast China , 1997, European journal of cancer prevention : the official journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation.

[69]  B. Ljung,et al.  Environmental Factors and the Risk of Salivary Gland Cancer , 1997, Epidemiology.

[70]  R. Lazarus,et al.  Alcohol intake and insulin levels. The Normative Aging Study. , 1997, American journal of epidemiology.

[71]  R. Hoover,et al.  Alcohol Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk among Women under Age 45 Years , 1997, Epidemiology.

[72]  B. Habbick,et al.  Mortality in foetal alcohol syndrome. , 1997, Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique.

[73]  E. Abel.  Maternal alcohol consumption and spontaneous abortion. , 1997, Alcohol and alcoholism.

[74]  A. Dobson,et al.  How much alcohol and how often? Population based case-control study of alcohol consumption and risk of a major coronary event , 1997, BMJ.

[75]  B. Blakley,et al.  Hearing, language, speech, vestibular, and dentofacial disorders in fetal alcohol syndrome. , 1997, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research.

[76]  M. Dufour,et al.  The relationship of drinking and birth outcome in a US national sample of expectant mothers. , 1997, Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology.

[77]  L. Chambless,et al.  The Relation of Alcohol Intake to Coronary Heart Disease and All‐Cause Mortality in a Beer‐Drinking Population , 1997, Epidemiology.

[78]  J. Rehm,et al.  Alcohol and health: individual and population perspectives. , 1997, Addiction.

[79]  E. Beghi,et al.  Alcohol use is a risk factor for a first generalized tonic-clonic seizure , 1997, Neurology.

[80]  J. Manson,et al.  Prospective study of moderate alcohol consumption and mortality in US male physicians. , 1997, Archives of internal medicine.

[81]  B. Henderson,et al.  Follow up study of moderate alcohol intake and mortality among middle aged men in Shanghai, China , 1997, BMJ.

[82]  G. Edwards.  Alcohol policy and the public good. , 1995, Addiction.

[83]  C. Cheney,et al.  Fluid intake and the incidence of bladder cancer among middle-aged men and women in a three-county area of western Washington. , 1997, Nutrition and cancer.

[84]  G. Corrao,et al.  Female sex and the risk of liver cirrhosis. Collaborative Groups for the Study of Liver Diseases in Italy. , 1997, Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology.

[85]  P. van’t Veer,et al.  Alcohol intake and risk of breast cancer: the euramic study. , 1997, Neoplasma.

[86]  D. de Freitas,et al.  [Alcohol and cancer]. , 1997, Acta medica portuguesa.

[87]  C. Bode,et al.  Alcohol’s Role in Gastrointestinal Tract Disorders , 1997, Alcohol health and research world.

[88]  N. Day,et al.  The Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure , 1997, Alcohol health and research world.

[89]  F. Gorelick,et al.  Alcohol and Acute Pancreatitis , 1997, The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine.

[90]  J. Rehm,et al.  On the emerging paradigm of drinking patterns and their social and health consequences. , 1996, Addiction.

[91]  S. Bondy.  Overview of studies on drinking patterns and consequences. , 1996, Addiction.

[92]  W. Poewe,et al.  Insulin sensitivity and regular alcohol consumption: large, prospective, cross sectional population study (Bruneck study) , 1996, BMJ.

[93]  R. Caetano,et al.  Risk functions for alcohol-related problems in a 1988 US national sample. , 1996, Addiction.

[94]  M. Knuiman,et al.  Risk Factors for Stroke Mortality in Men and Women: The Busselton Study , 1996, Journal of cardiovascular risk.

[95]  J. Rehm,et al.  Daily drinking and harm , 1996 .

[96]  R. Room.  Alcohol consumption and social harm—conceptual issues and historical perspectives , 1996 .

[97]  D. Savitz,et al.  The Effect of Maternal Drinking before Conception and in Early Pregnancy on Infant Birthweight , 1996, Epidemiology.

[98]  G. Klöppel,et al.  Course of alcoholic chronic pancreatitis: a prospective clinicomorphological long-term study. , 1996, Gastroenterology.

[99]  J. Fraumeni,et al.  The influence of cigarette smoking, alcohol, and green tea consumption on the risk of carcinoma of the cardia and distal stomach in Shanghai, China , 1996, Cancer.

[100]  S. Wannamethee,et al.  Patterns of alcohol intake and risk of stroke in middle-aged British men. , 1996, Stroke.

[101]  R. Hayes,et al.  Alcohol use and prostate cancer risk in US blacks and whites. , 1996, American journal of epidemiology.

[102]  M. Longnecker,et al.  Epidemiologic data on alcoholic beverage consumption and risk of cancer. , 1996, Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry.

[103]  P Rydon,et al.  Unravelling the preventive paradox for acute alcohol problems. , 1996, Drug and alcohol review.

[104]  V. Burke,et al.  Alcohol and hypertension--kill or cure? , 1996, Journal of human hypertension.

[105]  D. English,et al.  Meta‐analysis of alcohol and all‐cause mortality: a validation of NHMRC recommendations , 1996, The Medical journal of Australia.

[106]  W. Hall.  Changes in the public perceptions of the health benefits of alcohol use, 1989 to 1994 , 1996, Australian and New Zealand journal of public health.

[107]  P. Connor,et al.  Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol Across the Life Span , 1996, Alcohol health and research world.

[108]  Alan D. Lopez,et al.  The global burden of disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases injuries and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. , 1996 .

[109]  R. Goldbohm,et al.  95143390 Alcohol and breast cancer: Results from the Netherlands cohort study , 1995 .

[110]  S. Swan,et al.  The Association of Moderate Maternal and Paternal Alcohol Consumption with Birthweight and Gestational Age , 1995, Epidemiology.

[111]  R. Westendorp,et al.  Alcohol consumption and mortality among women. , 1995, The New England journal of medicine.

[112]  D. Goldberg,et al.  Beyond alcohol: beverage consumption and cardiovascular mortality. , 1995, Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry.

[113]  J. Faivre,et al.  Tobacco, alcohol, and colorectal tumors: a multistep process. , 1995, American journal of epidemiology.

[114]  P. van 't Veer,et al.  Alcohol and Breast Cancer: Results from the Netherlands Cohort Study , 1995 .

[115]  J. Manson,et al.  Alcohol consumption and mortality among women. , 1995, The New England journal of medicine.

[116]  P. Whincup,et al.  Prospective study of risk factors for development of non-insulin dependent diabetes in middle aged British men , 1995, BMJ.

[117]  E. Rimm,et al.  Prospective study of cigarette smoking, alcohol use, and the risk of diabetes in men , 1995, BMJ.

[118]  P. Lévy,et al.  [Does acute alcoholic pancreatitis always reveal chronic pancreatitis?]. , 1995, Gastroenterologie clinique et biologique.

[119]  J. Matías‐Guiu,et al.  [Etiological and prognostic factors in the late onset epilepsy]. , 1995, Revista de neurologia.

[120]  X. Shu,et al.  Maternal Smoking, Alcohol Drinking, Caffeine Consumption, and Fetal Growth: Results from a Prospective Study , 1995, Epidemiology.

[121]  J. Kurinczuk,et al.  The quantification of drug caused morbidity and mortality in Australia 1995 , 1995 .

[122]  C. la Vecchia,et al.  Alcohol and endometrial cancer risk: findings from an Italian case-control study. , 1995, Nutrition and cancer.

[123]  P. Nasca,et al.  Alcohol consumption and breast cancer: estrogen receptor status and histology. , 1994, American journal of epidemiology.

[124]  R. Doll,et al.  Mortality in relation to consumption of alcohol: 13 years' observations on male British doctors , 1994, BMJ.

[125]  M. Longnecker,et al.  Alcohol and breast cancer. Where are we now where do we go from here? , 1994, Cancer.

[126]  J. Rankin.  Biological mechanisms at moderate levels of alcohol consumption that may affect coronary heart disease , 1994 .

[127]  R. Jackson.  Cardiovascular disease and alcohol consumption: evidence of benefit from epidemiological studies , 1994 .

[128]  J. Potter,et al.  Alcohol consumption and colon and rectal cancer in postmenopausal women. , 1994, International journal of epidemiology.

[129]  Y. Ida Chen,et al.  Light-to-Moderate Alcohol Intake Is Associated With Enhanced Insulin Sensitivity , 1994, Diabetes Care.

[130]  C. la Vecchia,et al.  Alcohol consumption and risk of prostate cancer. , 1994, Nutrition and cancer.

[131]  G. Friedman,et al.  Alcohol Consumption and Insulin Concentrations Role of Insulin in Associations of Alcohol Intake With High‐Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Triglycerides , 1993, Circulation.

[132]  J. Howland,et al.  Alcohol and non-traffic unintended injuries. , 1993, Addiction.

[133]  C. Cherpitel.  Alcohol and injuries: a review of international emergency room studies. , 1993, Addiction.

[134]  H-P Krueger,et al.  EFFECTS OF LOW ALCOHOL DOSAGES: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE , 1993 .

[135]  J. Palmer,et al.  Alcohol consumption and risk of breast cancer: a review of the epidemiologic evidence. , 1993, Epidemiologic reviews.

[136]  R. Beaglehole,et al.  Alcohol, cardiovascular diseases and all causes of death: a review of the epidemiological evidence. , 1992, Drug and alcohol review.

[137]  F. Stinson,et al.  Alcohol-related mortality in the United States, 1979-1988. , 1992, British journal of addiction.

[138]  D. Rice,et al.  Estimates of economic costs of alcohol and drug abuse and mental illness, 1985 and 1988. , 1991, Public health reports.

[139]  P. Haberman,et al.  Liver cirrhosis with and without mention of alcohol as cause of death. , 1990, British journal of addiction.

[140]  Timothy H. Hannan.  The Economic Cost of Alcohol Abuse , 1978 .

[141]  M. Singer,et al.  Alcohol and Pancreas , 1994 .

[142]  R. Berry,et al.  The Economic Cost of Alcohol Abuse. , 1977 .