Categories Of Drinkers Research Articles

Alcohol outlet density and adolescent drinking behaviors in Thailand, 2007-2017: A spatiotemporal mixed model analysis.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between alcohol outlet density and the proportion of alcohol consumption among Thai adolescents. We utilized the alcohol consumption data from the 2007, 2011, and 2017 Tobacco and Alcohol Consumption Survey in Thailand. We analyzed the relationships between alcohol sales license figures and consumption behavior using a spatiotemporal mixed model. Our data had two levels. The upper (provincial) level featured alcohol sales license density (spatial effect), the years of survey (temporal effect), and the social deprivation index. The lower (individual) level included the demographic data of the adolescents. A total of 9,566 Thai adolescents participated in this study, based on surveys conducted in 2007 (n = 4,731), 2011 (n = 3,466), and 2017 (n = 1,369). The density of alcohol sales licenses increased the odds for the one-year current drinker category (odds ratio [OR] = 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.45), especially in male adolescents (OR = 1.09, 95% CI, 1.04-1.14). Furthermore, it increased the odds for the heavy episodic drinker category for female adolescents (OR = 1.23, 95% CI, 1.05-1.44). Increased alcohol sales licenses are associated with higher alcohol consumption among Thai adolescents. This highlights the need for government organizations to develop and apply strategies to reduce the number of licenses for the sale of alcohol.

Do older adults drink alcohol whilst taking alcohol-interactive medication? Prevalence and ten-year mortality risk: findings from the UK Whitehall II cohort study

Background Older people commonly take prescribed medications, some of which are contra-indicated with alcohol. Few population-based studies have assessed the relationship between taking these medicines, different levels of alcohol use, and potential harm. Aims To investigate the prevalence of taking alcohol-interactive (AI) medication and alcohol consumption among older adults and to compare the ten-year mortality risk among different categories of drinkers. Methods Data were obtained from 6220 participants (mean age 70, 71% male) within the UK Whitehall II cohort study of civil servants from phase 11 (2012–2013) who were followed up for mortality over ten years. Alcohol use was based on volume of consumption in self-reported drinks per week, and hazardous pattern of consumption was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption (AUDIT-C). AI medications were coded from self-reported medication use. Deaths were obtained from the NHS central registry (2012–2022). Results 55% of participants took AI medication and of these, 73% also consumed alcohol, and 43% drank hazardously. These participants were more likely to be male, older, and belong to lower socioeconomic groups. Among those taking AI medication, there was a significantly higher mortality hazard for ex-drinkers (HR =1.43 CI 1.14, 1.80) and nondrinkers (HR= 2.09 CI 1.33, 3.27) compared to moderate drinkers but no significant difference for higher risk/hazardous drinkers after adjusting for confounding factors. Conclusion In these older adults, there was a high prevalence of taking alcohol-interactive medication and drinking alcohol. Whilst there was no increased mortality risk other non-fatal outcomes should be considered.

Abstract 14327: Association Between Alcohol Intake and Incidence of Heart Failure With and Without Reduced Ejection Fraction Among Participants of the VA Million Veteran Program

Introduction: Little is known about the relation of total alcohol intake and beverage types on risk of heart failure (HF). This study aims to examine the relation between amount of alcohol consumed and type of alcohol with risk for HF including subtypes [heart failure with reduced (HFrEF) and preserved (HFpEF) ejection fraction] in a large cohort of US Veterans. Methods: The study cohort included 329,543 Million Veteran Program participants who completed a baseline and lifestyle survey. Subjects with prevalent HF at baseline and incomplete alcohol information were excluded. Moderate alcohol intake was defined as consuming 12-24 g/day for men and 12g/day for women. We used ICD-9-10 codes and EF to define HFpEF and HFrEF. The associations between alcohol intake, beverage preference, and incidence of HFpEF and HFrEF were assessed using Cox proportional hazard model (CPHM) adjusted for age, sex, race, body mass index, cigarette smoking, education, exercise, diet, baseline prevalence of high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, statin use and atrial fibrillation. Results: Mean age was 65 years and 91.4% were men. With mean follow-up of 4.5 years, we observed 20,694 incident HF events (6078 HFrEF and 4531 HFpEF). The CPHM showed J shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and HF risk. Compared to never drinkers, adjusted HRs (95% CI) for HF were 0.89 (0.85, 0.95), 0.85 (0.79,0.91), 0.80 (0.74, 0.86), 0.80 (0.72, 0.88), 0.93 (0.84, 1.04) and 1.03(0.95, 1.12) for categories of current drinkers of ≤6 g/d, >6-12 g/d, >12-24g/d, >24-36g/d, >36-48 g/d and heavy drinking (> 48 g/d)/alcohol use disorder, respectively. We found a similar association pattern between alcohol intake and risk of HFpEF and HFrEF (Fig). There was no difference in alcohol preference and HF risk among light and moderate drinkers. Conclusion: Light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart failure irrespective of subtypes.

The Effectiveness of Yoga Asanas in Alcohol De-Addiction

Background: Alcoholism is an addiction to alcohol that has a multitude of psychophysiological effects on a person. According to the WHO, about 30% of Indians consume alcohol, of which 413% are daily consumers and up to 50% comprises into the toxic drinker category. Another worrying trend in India is that the average age to start drinking has increased from 28 years in the 1980s to 17 years in 2007. These statistics are alarming and we all need to learn.
 Methodology: How to overcome alcohol addiction? While professional advice and treatments are always available, you can also try yoga and meditation to control your cravings. Alcohol abuse, addiction, and the resulting health consequences are worldwide issues. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hazardous alcohol consumption is the world's third greatest cause of early mortality and disability, accounting for roughly 2.5 million fatalities per year (corresponding to 3.8 percent of all deaths). This manuscript included different forms of yogas known as “yoga therapy” and meditation to overcome alcohol addiction.
 Results: Addiction has the potential to impair our bodily and spiritual wellbeing, as well as those we love. When an alcoholic stops drinking, grief sets in, and it sets in with increased vigor. The goal of life is to live in consciousness rather than lose it. It is essential to be attentive to be able to overcome sadness. As a result, those who battle with addictions are finding fresh hope in Yoga and meditation.
 Conclusion: The positive role of Yoga therapy in reducing craving, thus enhancing the management of alcohol dependence. Yoga has proved to be effective in alcohol de-addiction.

Defending, contesting and rejecting formal drinker categories: how UK university students identify as ‘light-drinkers’ or ‘non-drinkers’

Definitions of drinker ‘categories’ (e.g., ‘light drinkers’) typically ignore the role of self-identification involved in drinking practices. To explore this, we presented self-identified ‘non’ or ‘light’ drinkers with official formal definitions of ‘light’ and ‘binge’ drinking as found in public health and academic research. A qualitative design was adopted. Semi-structured interviews with ten 18–27-year-old UK University students self-identifying as non-/light-drinkers were analysed using critical discourse analysis. A first data pattern saw participants working to defend and maintain self-identified ‘light drinker’ status in the face of contradictions to such claims. A second pattern involved participant challenges to the rigidity and legitimacy of formal drinking categories. A third pattern reflected participants' rhetorical work to hold at bay or reject disavowed and stigmatised drinking categories (e.g., ‘alcoholic’). Interviews suggested how formal definitions could create ideological dilemmas for participants, partly through investment in how formally defined drinker categories connected with recent personal drinking practices. Our data helps explain why units-based drinking guidelines may be poorly understood. More nuanced use of ‘drinker categories’ in units-based drinking guidelines could strengthen the visibility and credibility of alcohol health messages or could be drawn on in digital interventions designed to encourage moderate consumption behaviour by delivering personalised feedback.

Knowledge of low-risk drinking and its relationship with a reduction in alcohol consumption: Results from six waves of an Australian national survey

This study examined changes in public knowledge of low-risk drinking, explored factors associated with knowledge level and its relationship with a reduction in alcohol consumption. Data (n = 153,820) of six waves of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, conducted during the period 2001–2016, were analysed. Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol was applied to compute participants' knowledge of low-risk drinking. This guideline was introduced in 2001 and later revised in 2009. Multivariable log-binomial regression model was used to analyse the pooled dataset. Subgroup analysis examined the relationship between knowledge score and a reduction in alcohol consumption across drinker categories. Public knowledge was better for long-term than short-term low-risk drinking, and women had better knowledge than men. Since 2010 there has been a small increase in knowledge of low-risk drinking. Although level of knowledge improved over time, it appears to align more towards the 2001-guideline, particularly for the recommended limits for men. Those who were relatively old; were women; received at least year-10 or more education; were not residing in the most disadvantaged areas; identified themselves as either light-, social-, heavy- or binge-drinkers; were currently/previously married; or perceived their health ‘excellent’ were significantly more likely than others to have an accurate knowledge of low-risk drinking. There was a positive association between knowledge score and the reduction in alcohol consumption among the self-reported social drinkers, heavy drinkers and binge drinkers. Tailored interventions are recommended for those who lack adequate knowledge and drink at a risky level.

Inverse association between excessive alcohol drinking and cardiometabolically healthy status in middle-aged men with and without overweight and obesity

AimsThe aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between drinking and metabolically healthy status in men with normal weight, overweight and obesity. MethodsThe subjects were Japanese men aged from 35 to 60 years (n=31781) and they were divided by daily amount of drinking (g ethanol) into light (< 22), moderate (≥22 and <44), heavy (≥44 and <66) and very heavy (≥66) drinkers. Metabolically healthy subjects were defined as those without hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes. ResultsThe percentage of metabolically healthy subjects was much lower in the overweight (BMI≥25 and <30) and obese (BMI≥30) groups than in the normal weight group (BMI≥18.5 and <25) and was much lower in the obese group than in the overweight group. In each of the normal weight and overweight groups, percentages of metabolically healthy subjects were significantly lower in heavy and very heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers and were marginally significantly higher in light drinkers than in nondrinkers. The above associations between drinking and metabolically healthy status were confirmed by logistic regression analysis. In the obese group, the percentage of metabolically healthy subjects was significantly lower in regular drinkers (including all drinker categories) than in nondrinkers, and metabolically healthy subjects were rare (0.56%) among regular drinkers. ConclusionsRegardless of absence and presence of overweight or obesity, excessive alcohol drinking is inversely associated with metabolically healthy status and should be avoided for prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Decreasing prevalence of social drinkers in Australia

IntroductionThere has been a recent decrease in population level alcohol consumption in Australia, particularly in young people. Whether this is due to increasing abstinence or a shift in the way people think about alcohol is not known. The aim of this study is to investigate trends in self-identification of drinker types in Australia from 2001 to 2013 in light of shifting patterns of alcohol consumption in Australia. MethodsFive waves of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey from 2001 to 2013 (N=118,416) were used to assess trends in self-identification as a drinker type (non-, ex-, occasional, light, social, heavy and binge drinker). Consumption patterns and demographics of the self-identified groups were also examined. ResultsThe pattern of self-identification has mostly remained steady over time. The two exceptions to this are a decrease in identification as a social drinker (28% to 22%) and a corresponding increase in identification as a non-drinker (from 19% to 27%). There are few changes over time in the demographic make-up of, or consumption patterns in, the social drinker category with the exception of those over 50, who continue to identify as social drinkers at the same rate. ConclusionThe recent increase in abstinence in Australia seems to be matched by a corresponding decrease in self-identified social drinkers, particularly among those under 50. This indicates that the decrease in consumption is not occurring in those most likely to experience harms.

Coffee consumption and risk of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. Results from the HARVEST

BackgroundControversy still exists about the long-term cardiovascular effects of coffee consumption in hypertension. MethodsThe predictive capacity of coffee use for cardiovascular events (CVEs) was investigated in 1204 participants from the HARVEST, a prospective cohort study of non-diabetic subjects aged 18–45years, screened for stage 1 hypertension. Subjects were grouped into three categories of coffee drinking, non-drinkers (none), moderate drinkers (1 to 3cups/day) and heavy drinkers (4or more cups/day). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were developed adjusting for possible confounding variables and risk factors. ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 12.6years, CVEs were developed by 60 participants. CVEs were more common among coffee drinkers than abstainers (abstainers, 2.2%; moderate drinkers, 7.0%; heavy drinkers, 14.0%; p for trend=0.0003). In a multivariable Cox regression model, coffee use was a significant predictor of CVE in both coffee categories, with a hazard ratio of 2.8 (95% CI, 1.0–7.9) in moderate coffee drinkers and of 4.5 (1.4–14.2) in heavy drinkers compared to abstainers. After inclusion of change in body weight (p=ns), incident hypertension (p=0.027) and presence of diabetes/prediabetes (p=ns) at follow-up end, the association with CVE was attenuated but remained significant in heavy coffee drinkers (HR, 95% CI, 3.4, 1.04–11.3). ConclusionsThese data show that coffee consumption increases the risk of CVE in a linear fashion in hypertension. This association may be explained in part by the association between coffee and development of hypertension. Hypertensive patients should be discouraged from drinking coffee.

Drinking Contexts and Alcohol Consumption: How Much Alcohol Is Consumed in Different Australian Locations?

The aim of this study was to examine where Australians in different demographic groups and drinker categories consume their alcohol. Results were taken from the Australian arm of the International Alcohol Control study, a telephone survey of 2,020 Australian adults with an oversample of risky drinkers. The 1,789 respondents who reported consuming alcohol in the past 6 months were asked detailed questions about the location of their alcohol consumption and how much alcohol they consumed at each place. Sixty-three percent of all alcohol consumption reported by respondents was consumed in the drinker's own home, with much less consumed at pubs, bars, and nightclubs (12%). This is driven primarily by the number of people who drink in the home and the frequency of these events, with the amount consumed per occasion at home no more than in other people's homes or pubs, and significantly less than at special events. The average consumption on a usual occasion at each of these locations was more than five Australian standard drinks (above the Australian low-risk guideline for episodic drinking). Short-term risky drinkers had the highest proportion of consumption in pubs (19%), but they still consumed 41% of their units in their own home. The majority of alcohol consumed in Australia is consumed in the drinker's own home. Efforts to reduce long-term harms from drinking need to address off-premise drinking and, in particular, drinking in the home.

Who Purchases Low-Cost Alcohol in Australia?

Debates surrounding potential price-based polices aimed at reducing alcohol-related harms tend to focus on the debate concerning who would be most affected-harmful or low-income drinkers. This study will investigate the characteristics of people who purchase low-cost alcohol using data from the Australian arm of the International Alcohol Control study. 1681 Australians aged 16 and over who had consumed alcohol and purchased it in off-licence premises were asked detailed questions about both practices. Low-cost alcohol was defined using cut-points of 80¢, $1.00 or $1.25 per Australian standard drink. With a $1.00 cut-off low income (OR = 2.1) and heavy drinkers (OR = 1.7) were more likely to purchase any low-cost alcohol. Harmful drinkers purchased more, and low-income drinkers less, alcohol priced at less than $1.00 per drink than high income and moderate drinkers respectively. The relationship between the proportion of units purchased at low cost and both drinker category and income is less clear, with hazardous, but not harmful, drinkers purchasing a lower proportion of units at low cost than moderate drinkers. The impact of minimum pricing on low income and harmful drinkers will depend on whether the proportion or total quantity of all alcohol purchased at low cost is considered. Based on absolute units of alcohol, minimum unit pricing could be differentially effective for heavier drinkers compared to other drinkers, particularly for young males.

The Role of Individual and Relational Characteristics on Alcohol Consumption among Italian Adolescents: A Discriminant Function Analysis

The aim of the present study was to explore the association between family functioning, coping strategies, peer influences and alcohol use among Italian adolescents. Nine hundred and sixty-three Italian adolescents, aged from 14 to 17 years, completed self-report measures assessing alcohol use, family functioning, and coping strategies. According to previous research, adolescents were categorized into non-drinkers, social, binge and heavy drinkers. Results showed that adolescents belonging to groups characterized by alcohol misuse differ in terms of coping strategies, family functioning dimensions, and typology of friends. In particular, heavy drinkers appeared to have more friends who drink alcohol on a regular basis and they were younger when started to drink on a regular basis than other drinking groups. Moreover, discriminant function analysis shows that avoidant coping strategies, early age of drinking, great number of friends who regularly drink alcohol and family dysfunctions are significant in the differentiation of drinking groups, separating heavy drinkers from others categories of drinkers

Mean-Weekly Alcohol Questions Are not Recommended for Clinical Work

The aim of this study was to evaluate middle-aged men's willingness to answer short, clinically feasible alcohol-related questions and to discuss changing their drinking habits. All 45-year-old male inhabitants of the city of Tampere, Finland, were invited to a health screening. Of these, 664 (55.1%) agreed to participate and 615 drank alcohol. The mailed health questionnaire also included mean-weekly (M-W), quantity-frequency (Q-F) and structured frequency-quantity (AUDIT-FQ) questions based on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Based on the Q-F, drinkers were classified as moderate, risky and heavy episodic drinkers. Q-F was answered by 90.2%, the AUDIT by 96.6% and the M-W by 45.5%. In all drinker categories, Q-F gave higher consumption levels compared with M-W and AUDIT-FQ. Willingness to discuss and change alcohol drinking was low in all drinker categories. Choosing a method preferred by patients may increase their willingness to talk about alcohol. Also, a method giving high consumption values may be the most truthful, because patients often underestimate their drinking. This is why Q-F questions should be favoured over M-W and AUDIT-FQ in patient interviews.

South Korean alcohol free associations: Negative expectancy not predicting drinks per occasion

Cultural and biological particulars existing in East Asian countries are likely to mediate differences in the alcohol consumption experience. Despite this no research to date has directly explored the alcohol free association or expectancy of any East Asian nations. The current research aims to provide a set of South Korean alcohol expectancies. Two hundred and thirty-seven South Koreans participated in an alcohol free association test and completed a demographic survey. The results both confirmed and contradicted areas of past alcohol expectancy research. There appears to be differences in associates with high probability of recall and alcohol expectancy, where negative, negative sedating and sedating expectancy categories were not found to be predictors of South Korean drinker level. The results suggest that South Koreans have a more even level of negative expectancy across all drinker categories, possibly due to a combination of linguistic, cultural and biological difference found among this population. The results provide a list of South Korean alcohol free association norms for future alcohol research in the region, with the results also underlining the need for alcohol free association tests among East Asian nations.

Gender and alcohol: the Swedish press debate

The dominant approach to gender in alcohol research still conceives of gender in terms of binary roles and looks for explanations for gender differences in drinking. This paper challenges the binary approach, and instead analyzes the categorization of gender as created in Swedish newspaper stories about alcohol, published between 2000 and 2008. Specific categories examined include ‘responsible mothers’, ‘responsible parents’, ‘party girls’, ‘career women with drinking problems’, ‘violent men who drink’ and ‘beer-drinking, sexist male athletes’. Based on this examination, the paper discusses how the media stories do and/or undo gender and how they encourage readers to act by the categories of drinkers that they describe. The study shows that the Swedish media stories produce multiple ways of interpreting drinking. Some of the stories undo gender through linking ‘male’ behavior (drinking heavily) to female bodies, while others undo gender by treating parenthood as more important than gender. Importantly, however, other stories reproduce the discourse of heteronormativity and gender binarism. The study suggests that analyses of media texts need to take the complexity of ‘undoing gender’ into account, for example by avoiding the assumption that gender is either undone or reproduced.

Region of origin as choice factor: wine knowledge and wine tourism involvement influence

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and examine key areas of the wine consumer's interaction with region of origin, specifically through access to wine information, wine knowledge, the auxiliary relationship with wine tourism involvement and the impact this has on the wine buying decision‐making process.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual research “model” was developed to set the direction for the development of the research hypotheses and questions. A highly structured questionnaire was administered at a high‐end independent wine retail shop in Sydney, Australia using a convenience sample of 100 randomly selected respondents, all of whom were in the basic wine drinker category or higher. A series of quantitative and qualitative datasets were collected during timeslots spanning 8‐15 minutes per questionnaire.FindingsThe results confirm that as wine knowledge increases together with wine involvement, it develops into a greater understanding of a wine's region of origin, impacting positively on the consumer's wine decision‐making process. A consumer's willingness to interact with wine‐related motivations through wine tourism visitation has a profound effect on the importance of a wine's region of origin, therefore attributing to greater recall of wine region in the wine buying decision‐making process.Research limitations/implicationsWine education and access to wine information have a strong relationship with increasing a consumer's awareness of wines' region of origin and offer scope to further investigate the importance of in‐store assistance and cellar door staff interaction with consumers. Although both these aspects are considered positively by a statistically significant percentage of the sample study, a relationship does not coexist with the importance of wine region as an aid or attribute for consumers when purchasing wine.Originality/valueWine marketing strategies in Australia are beginning to incorporate a complementary product brand relationship with region of origin and the use of regional branding, not only as a point of difference, but as an extension of a wine product's attributes. This study aids in further identifying information regarding regional branding and its relative importance, which could lead to subsequent comprehensive research studies. The research findings may be utilized to provide small‐ to medium‐sized wineries an overview of how they may consider closer interaction between their individual brand and regional branding.

Alcohol Consumption and Mortality From Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease Among Japanese Men and Women

Previous studies have demonstrated the association between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular mortality. However, the sex-specific association between alcohol consumption and mortality from stroke and coronary heart disease remains unclear. Between 1988 and 1990, 34,776 men and 48 906 women aged 40 to 79 years completed a self-administered questionnaire including information about alcohol consumption. They were followed-up for a median duration of 14.2 years. Of the 83,682 respondents, 1628 died from stroke and 736 died from coronary heart disease. For men, heavy drinking (>or=46.0 g ethanol/day) was associated with increased mortality from total, hemorrhagic, and ischemic strokes, whereas light-to-moderate drinking was associated with reduced mortality from total cardiovascular disease, compared with not drinking. The respective multivariable hazard ratios (95% CI) were 1.48 (1.22 to 1.80) for total stoke, 1.67 (1.17 to 2.38) for hemorrhagic stroke, 1.35 (1.04 to 1.75) for ischemic stroke, and 0.88 (0.78 to 1.00) for total cardiovascular disease. Women who were heavy drinkers (>or=46.0 g ethanol/day) showed increased mortality from coronary heart disease, and there was reduced mortality from total cardiovascular disease for drinkers of 0.1 to 22.9 g ethanol per day compared with mortality for nondrinkers. The respective multivariable hazard ratios (95% CI) for the 2 categories of drinkers were 4.10 (1.63 to 10.3) and 0.75 (0.62 to 0.91). Heavy alcohol consumption is associated with increased mortality from total stroke, particularly hemorrhagic stroke, and total cardiovascular disease for men, and from coronary heart disease for women, whereas light-to-moderate drinking may be associated with reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease for both sexes.

Effect of acute dose of alcohol on the biochemical features of syndrome X in different categories of male and female Nigerian drinkers in apparent good health.

Background: «Syndrome X», known since the 1980’s is a disease condition precipitated by insulin resistance. Insulin resistance causes glucose and insulin to accumulate in the blood. Syndrome X is characterized by abnormal values of triacylglycerol (TAG), blood pressure (BP), glucose and HDL-cholesterol-all risk factors for heart disease. Insulin resistance may be exacerbated by bad diet, poor lifestyle, absence of physical activity, genetic predisposition and being overweight. However, recent reports have shown that poor lifestyle is likely to be the main cause rather than bad diet or being overweight. Even though heavy consumption of alcohol could be regarded as a poor lifestyle, its relationship to the biochemical features and symptoms of Syndrome X in both genders is yet to be properly documented among Nigerian drinkers of alcohol. Methods: To establish a baseline information on the relationship between alcohol consumption and Syndrome X among Nigerians, two hundred and seventy-four consenting individuals in apparent good health and who were either light (53 male, 44 female), moderate (51 male, 42 female) or heavy (46 male, 38 female) drinkers of alcohol were selected. They had no personal or familial history of CHD, stroke, cancer or related diseases. The drinkers were tested using an acute dose (1 g ethanol/kg body weight) of alcohol. Results: Results show that the administered acute dose (1 g ethanol/kg body weight) increased serum glucose, (p&gt;0.05), TAG (p&lt; 0.05) and BP (p&lt; 0.05) some biochemical risk factors of Syndrome X in both genders irrespective of the drinking category. However, alcohol-induced changes were highest among the female heavy drinkers. Thus, observations from this study suggest that heavy consumption of alcohol by especially the female folk could alter the pathways that metabolize carbohydrates and lipids and this may increase the risk of Syndrome X. Conclusions: Based on the available evidence, it would be reasonable to conclude that heavy consumption of alcohol by Nigerian women especially may be yet another predisposing lifestyle to Syndrome X. The incidence of Syndrome X among drinkers of alcohol should be further investigated in order to provide clues to the underlying molecular mechanisms. This is important in order to strategize therapeutic approaches, since individuals with the disease may not recognize it.

Alcohol consumption and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1: The national heart, lung, and blood Institute family heart study

Background Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PA1-I) plays a key role in fibrinolytic activity, which is important for thrombotic cardiovascular events. It has been suggested that moderate alcohol consumption may protect against coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke. However, little is known about the effects of moderate doses of alcohol on PA1-1. Methods and Results We assessed the association between different levels of alcohol consumption and PA1-1 among 1862 participants of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Family Heart Study. We fitted a regression model, adjusting for anthropometric, metabolic, and lifestyle factors. Individuals in the highest alcohol intake category were leaner, had higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, smoked more cigarettes, and consumed less dietary fiber compared with never-drinkers. For drinking categories of never-drinkers, ex-drinkers, and current drinkers of 0.1 to 1.4, 1.5 to 4.9, 5.0 to 14.9, and ⩾ 15 g/d of alcohol, multivariate adjusted geometric mean PA1-1 levels among women were 10.77, 9.41, 9.99, 11.21, 11.28, and 16.40 ng/ml, respectively. With similar categories except the top category divided into 15.0 to 29.9 and ⩾30 g/d, PA1-1 levels among men were 18.43, 15.77, 15.19, 16.20, 17.27, 24.02, and 29.46 ng/mL, respectively. Conclusions These results show that alcohol consumption up to 14.9 g/d is not associated with increased PA1-1, whereas the findings suggest increased PA1-1 with greater alcohol intake.

Factors associated with untreated remissions from alcohol abuse or dependence

This paper describes an epidemiologic-based sample of individuals who remitted from alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence, both with and without treatment, to abstinence or moderate drinking. Inspection of the severity, onset, and duration of alcohol problems experienced by these individuals suggests that there may be two primary categories of drinkers with distinct pathways to remission. The first is a population of individuals who experience significant problems for an extended period of time who then resolve to abstinence through the use of treatment services. The second is a population of individuals who drink heavily at some point in their lives, experience some problems, and then “mature out” of this stage in their life as they age and take on other life roles.