Effect Of Light Alcohol Consumption Research Articles

Cancer risk based on alcohol consumption levels: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.

Alcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for cancer. Despite extensive research into the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk, the effect of light alcohol consumption on cancer risk remains a topic of debate. To contribute to this discourse, we conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. Our systematic review aimed to investigate the associations between different levels of alcohol consumption and the risk of several cancer types. We focused on analyzing prospective associations using data from 139 cohort studies. Among them, 106 studies were included in the meta-analysis after a quantitative synthesis. Our analysis did not find a significant association between light alcohol consumption and all-cause cancer risk (relative risk, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.99 to 1.04), but we observed a dose-response relationship. Light alcohol consumption was significantly associated with higher risks of esophageal, colorectal, and breast cancers. Light to moderate drinking was associated with elevated risks of esophageal, colorectal, laryngeal, and breast cancers. Heavy drinking was also found to contribute to the risk of stomach, liver, pancreas, and prostate cancers, thereby increasing the risk of almost all types of cancer. Additionally, females generally had lower cancer risks compared to males. Our findings highlight that cancer risks extend beyond heavy alcohol consumption to include light alcohol consumption as well. These findings suggest that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption associated with cancer risk. Our results underscore the importance of public health interventions addressing alcohol consumption to mitigate cancer risks.

Comparison of the effect of light alcohol consumption on Japanese men with and without fatty liver.

Light and moderate drinking is associated with lower risk of metabolic syndrome (Mets)-related diseases in the general population. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered to be a phenotype of Mets in the liver. Although there have been some reports of the association between NAFLD and light alcohol consumption (LAC), the association between Mets-related diseases and LAC in the subjects with and without fatty liver is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the influence of LAC on Mets-related diseases in individuals with and those without fatty liver. This study included 1,190 men who underwent regular health check-ups and consumed <20 g/day of alcohol. The subjects were divided into two groups, the non-fatty liver group and fatty liver group, and investigated the association between Mets-related diseases and LAC. Fatty liver was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound. The effect of LAC was different between the non-fatty liver and fatty liver groups. In the non-fatty liver group, the odds ratio (OR) for hypertension was 1.73 (1.04-2.88;2 P=0.035). In the fatty liver group, the OR for each Mets-related diseases were as follows: Dyslipidemia, 0.64 (0.44-0.95, P=0.028); impaired glucose tolerance 0.57 (0.37-0.88; P=0.012); chronic kidney disease, 0.58 (0.36-0.94; P=0.029); and Mets by Japanese criteria, 0.63 (0.44-0.92; P=0.016). The influence of LAC on Mets-related diseases differs based on the presence of fatty liver. In individuals without fatty liver, light drinking is an independent risk factor for hypertension.

Light alcohol consumption has the potential to suppress hepatocellular injury and liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background & aimsThe modest consumption of alcohol has been reported to decrease the incidence of fatty liver or prevalence of steatohepatitis. In this study, we investigated the effect of light alcohol consumption on liver function and gene expression in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).MethodsThe study group was formed of 178 patients diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, subclassified into two groups for analysis based on the daily alcohol consumption: non-alcohol group and light alcohol consumer group (≤20 g of ethanol/day). Clinical characteristics, liver histological features, gene expression, comprehensively analyzed using microarrays (BRB-Array tools), and molecular network were evaluated and compared between the two groups.ResultsNo significant differences in steatosis or inflammation score were noted among the groups. However, the ballooning and fibrosis scores were significantly lower in the light alcohol consumer group than in the non-alcohol group. Gene expression analysis revealed a marked inhibition of the pathways involved in the immune response in the light alcohol group compared to that in the non-alcohol group.ConclusionsLight alcohol consumption might suppress activity of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis by reducing gene expression levels involved in the immune response. This inhibition in gene expression was associated with a lowering of liver fibrosis and hepatocellular injury.

Alcohol Consumption and Ambulatory Blood Pressure: A Community-Based Study in an Elderly Cohort

Although heavy alcohol consumption is associated with hypertension, the impact of lighter consumption on blood pressure (BP) is controversial. The protective effect of light alcohol consumption on cardiovascular disease described in previous studies could be, in part, mediated by effects of alcohol on BP. However, only a few studies investigating the association between alcohol and BP included elderly subjects, despite their higher risk of hypertension sequelae. Accordingly, we evaluated the relationship between alcohol consumption and 24-hour ambulatory BP in a community-based elderly cohort. Among the participants in the Cardiac Abnormalities and Brain Lesion study, 553 subjects (mean age = 70.6 ± 9.6 years) who underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring were examined. Alcohol consumption was categorized as (i) none (reference; <1 drink/month); (ii) very light consumption (1 drink/month to 1 drink/week); (iii) light consumption (2 drinks/week to 1 drink/day); (iv) moderate-to-heavy consumption (>1 drink/day). Former drinkers were excluded. After adjustment for relevant covariables, mean values of daytime diastolic BP (DBP), nighttime DBP, and 24-hour DBP were significantly higher in moderate-to-heavy drinkers than in the reference group, whereas systolic BP parameters were not significantly different across consumption groups. Daytime systolic BP and DBP variability (SD of the measurements) were significantly lower in very light drinkers than in the reference group, independent of potential confounders. Moderate-to-heavy alcohol consumption was associated with higher DBP values. Very light alcohol consumption was associated with reduced daytime BP variability. The latter association may contribute to the known beneficial cardiovascular effects of light alcohol consumption.

Wage penalty of abstinence and wage premium of drinking–A misclassification bias due to pooling of drinking groups?

Several studies have found protective effects of low/moderate (hereafter ‘light’) alcohol consumption compared with ‘abstinence’ on mortality, health and wage. Some of these studies have been criticised because former drinkers have been included among the abstainers, which may overstate the protective effect of light alcohol consumption. It has also been proposed, but not shown, that the commonly pooled group of light drinkers and former heavy drinkers would understate the protective effect of light drinking. We also suggest that former abstainers might cause the same effect when pooled with light drinkers. The aim of this article is to study whether the pooling of consumption groups creates bias in the form of misclassification and confounding. The analysis focuses on: ‘former drinker error’ (pooling of lifelong abstainers and former drinkers); ‘former abstainer error’ (pooling of former abstainers and lifelong light drinkers) and ‘former heavy drinker error’ (pooling of light drinkers with and without a history of heavy drinking). Swedish panel data were used in a multinomial logit model, presenting odds ratios when comparing the subgroups. The results demonstrate that commonly pooled groups are heterogeneous with respect to a number of variables, which may implicate confounding. Given appropriate controls, misclassification bias is likely in the pooled group of light drinkers. The direction of the misclassification bias, however, is to underestimate the beneficial effect of light alcohol consumption on wage and therefore cannot explain the wage penalty of abstinence compared to light drinking.

Alcohol consumption and risk of breast cancer: the Framingham Study revisited.

Although many studies report that moderate-to-heavy alcohol intake increases breast cancer risk, the effect of light alcohol consumption remains controversial, and a consistent pattern of association with different types of alcoholic beverages is not evident. The authors examined the relation of average alcohol consumption and of different beverages to the risk of breast cancer in the Framingham Study (Framingham, Massachusetts). Of 2,764 women followed more than 40 years in the Original Cohort from 1948 to 1993 and 2,284 followed up to 24 years in the Offspring Cohort from 1971 to 1993, 221 and 66 incident breast cancer cases occurred, respectively. Breast cancer incidence decreased from 3.60 per 1,000 person-years to 2.47, 2.30, and 2.33 in increasing categories of average alcohol consumption (none, < 5.0, 5.0-< 15.0, and > or = 15.0 g/day) among the Original Cohort and from 3.07 to 1.26, 1.24, and 2.22, respectively, among the Offspring Cohort. With the two cohorts combined, multivariate-adjusted rate ratios of breast cancer in each increased category of alcohol consumption were 1.0 (nondrinkers), 0.8 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.6-1.1), 0.7 (95% CI 0.5-1.1), and 0.7 (95% CI 0.5-1.1), respectively. Breast cancer was not associated with wine, beer, or spirits consumption when assessed separately. The findings suggest that the light consumption of alcohol or any type of alcoholic beverage is not associated with increased breast cancer risk.