Male Alcohol Intake Research Articles

Conventional and genetic evidence on alcohol and vascular disease aetiology: a prospective study of 500 000 men and women in China

SummaryBackgroundModerate alcohol intake has been associated with reduced cardiovascular risk in many studies, in comparison with abstinence or with heavier drinking. Studies in east Asia can help determine whether these associations are causal, since two common genetic variants greatly affect alcohol drinking patterns. We used these two variants to assess the relationships between cardiovascular risk and genotype-predicted mean alcohol intake in men, contrasting the findings in men with those in women (few of whom drink).MethodsThe prospective China Kadoorie Biobank enrolled 512 715 adults between June 25, 2004, and July 15, 2008, from ten areas of China, recording alcohol use and other characteristics. It followed them for about 10 years (until Jan 1, 2017), monitoring cardiovascular disease (including ischaemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage, and myocardial infarction) by linkage with morbidity and mortality registries and electronic hospital records. 161 498 participants were genotyped for two variants that alter alcohol metabolism, ALDH2-rs671 and ADH1B-rs1229984. Adjusted Cox regression was used to obtain the relative risks associating disease incidence with self-reported drinking patterns (conventional epidemiology) or with genotype-predicted mean male alcohol intake (genetic epidemiology—ie, Mendelian randomisation), with stratification by study area to control for variation between areas in disease rates and in genotype-predicted intake.Findings33% (69 897/210 205) of men reported drinking alcohol in most weeks, mainly as spirits, compared with only 2% (6245/302 510) of women. Among men, conventional epidemiology showed that self-reported alcohol intake had U-shaped associations with the incidence of ischaemic stroke (n=14 930), intracerebral haemorrhage (n=3496), and acute myocardial infarction (n=2958); men who reported drinking about 100 g of alcohol per week (one to two drinks per day) had lower risks of all three diseases than non-drinkers or heavier drinkers. In contrast, although genotype-predicted mean male alcohol intake varied widely (from 4 to 256 g per week—ie, near zero to about four drinks per day), it did not have any U-shaped associations with risk. For stroke, genotype-predicted mean alcohol intake had a continuously positive log-linear association with risk, which was stronger for intracerebral haemorrhage (relative risk [RR] per 280 g per week 1·58, 95% CI 1·36–1·84, p<0·0001) than for ischaemic stroke (1·27, 1·13–1·43, p=0·0001). For myocardial infarction, however, genotype-predicted mean alcohol intake was not significantly associated with risk (RR per 280 g per week 0·96, 95% CI 0·78–1·18, p=0·69). Usual alcohol intake in current drinkers and genotype-predicted alcohol intake in all men had similarly strong positive associations with systolic blood pressure (each p<0·0001). Among women, few drank and the studied genotypes did not predict high mean alcohol intake and were not positively associated with blood pressure, stroke, or myocardial infarction.InterpretationGenetic epidemiology shows that the apparently protective effects of moderate alcohol intake against stroke are largely non-causal. Alcohol consumption uniformly increases blood pressure and stroke risk, and appears in this one study to have little net effect on the risk of myocardial infarction.FundingChinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, GlaxoSmithKline, Medical Research Council, and Wellcome Trust.

Trends in Alcohol Intake and the Association between Socio-Demographic Factors and Volume of Alcohol Intake amongst Adult Male Drinkers in China.

Background: The volume of alcohol intake and type of alcohol affect Chinese men’s health. This study investigated changes of alcohol type between 2004 and 2011, explored the trend of change in alcohol type with age and determined the social demographic factors influencing the alcohol intake of Chinese men. Methods: Research data originated from the public database, China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). Three chi-square tests were used to determine the prevalence of different alcohol types (beer, wine and liqueur) and the trend with age among male drinkers from 2004 to 2011. An ordered logistic regression model was established with alcohol intake as the dependent variable and social demography as the independent variable to analyze the influence of these factors on male alcohol intake. Results: This study confirmed that from 2004 to 2011, 70.1% of Chinese men consumed alcohol less than 168 g/w. The popularity of beer was on the rise, while the liqueur alcohol consumption decreased from 2004 to 2011 and the consumption of wine began to rise rapidly after 2006 (p < 0.05 for all). The prevalence of liqueur drinking increased with age and the prevalence of beer drinking decreased with age among Chinese male drinkers (p < 0.05 for all). From 2004 to 2011, a positive correlation appeared between age and male alcohol intake (p < 0.05 for all). In 2004 (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.03–1.44), 2006 (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.02–1.42) and 2011 (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.31–1.75), Chinese men living in rural areas had a high volume of alcohol intake. From 2004 to 2011, the participants had married consumed more alcohol (p < 0.05 for all). In 2004 (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.43–0.88) and 2011 (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68–0.94), higher education levels were negatively correlated with male alcohol intake. In 2006 (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.07–1.56), 2009 (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.45–2.14) and 2011 (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.13–1.61), male drinkers who were working consumed more alcohol. From 2004 to 2011, a significant positive correlation appeared between tobacco consumption and alcohol intake (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusion: Consumption of three types of alcohol (beer, wine and liqueur) varies with the year. Beer consumption decreases with age, whereas liqueur consumption increases with age. Social demographic factors, such as residence, age, highest education level, working status and tobacco consumption, are related to alcohol intake. Our study affirms the effect of age on the choice of different types of alcohol.

Male caffeine and alcohol intake in relation to semen parameters and invitro fertilization outcomes among fertility patients.

Much of the literature on the impact of male caffeine and alcohol intake on reproductive outcomes has utilized semen quality as a proxy for male fertility, although semen parameters have a limited predictive value for spontaneous pregnancy. The objective of this study was to investigate whether male caffeine and alcohol intakes are associated with semen parameters and assisted reproductive technology outcome. The Environment and Reproductive Health Study, an ongoing prospective cohort study, enrolls subfertile couples presenting for treatment at an academic fertility center (2007-2012). A total of 171 men with 338 semen analyses and 205 assisted reproductive technology cycles were included in this analysis. Diet was assessed using a 131-item food frequency questionnaire. Mixed models adjusting for potential confounders were used to evaluate the relationships of male caffeine and alcohol intakes with semen parameters and assisted reproductive technology outcomes. There was no association between male caffeine and alcohol intake and semen quality. Male caffeine intake was negatively related to live birth after assisted reproductive technologies (p-trend<0.01), and male alcohol intake was positively related to live birth after assisted reproductive technologies (p-trend=0.04). Adjusted live birth rate among couples with a male partner in the highest quartile of caffeine intake (≥272mg/day) compared to couples with a male partner in the lowest quartile of intake (<99mg/day) was 19% vs. 55%, respectively, p<0.01. In terms of alcohol intake, adjusted live birth rate among couples with a male partner in the highest quartile of alcohol intake (≥22g/day) compared to couples with a male partner in the lowest quartile of intake (<3g/day) was 61% vs. 28%, respectively, p=0.05. In conclusion, male pre-treatment caffeine and alcohol intakes were associated with live birth after assisted reproductive technologies, but not with semen parameters, among fertility patients.

Multi-day recurrences of intimate partner violence and alcohol intake across dynamic patterns of violence.

Consistent links exist between male alcohol intake and male-perpetrated intimate partner violence (IPV) as well as female alcohol intake and female-perpetrated IPV. However, the nature of the relationship remains unclear. This study attempted to identify unique alcohol-violence patterns within three different types of relationship dynamics to better understand the alcohol-violence relationship and its role in violence dynamics. Two hundred women in abusive relationships were recruited from six primary care clinics. Subjects completed daily assessments of their relationship using interactive verbal response via telephone for 12 weeks. Dynamic patterns (periodic, chaotic, random) were determined by positive versus negative Lyapunov exponents and measures of correlation dimension saturation. To identify recurrent day-to-day activities, we used orbital decomposition (based on symbolic dynamics). Periodic dynamics included daily reports with mutual abuse and alcohol intake while random dynamics included a variety of patterns, especially those involving unequal mutual abuse. Unique strings for each dynamic pattern were examined. Periodic dynamics involved heavy alcohol intake by the husband or mutual moderate-severe violence. Random dynamics uniquely involved mutual verbal abuse with husband's alcohol intake on same or different days as well as husband-perpetrated moderate-severe violence with or without husband-perpetrated minor violence. Chaotic dynamics uniquely involved combinations from wife-perpetrated minor violence alone to combinations of husband's heavy alcohol intake (with or without husband-perpetrated minor violence), mutual verbal abuse, and husband-perpetrated verbal abuse (with or without husband's heavy alcohol intake). Recurrent 4-day patterns were observed. Each dynamic pattern was characterized by recurrent strings unique to that pattern.

Male alcohol consumption and fecundity in couples attending an infertility clinic

The relationship between male alcohol intake and fertility was studied for 258 couples attending an infertility clinic. 21% consumed less than 1 unit per week on average, 10% consumed between 1 and 5 units per week, 23% consumed between 6 and 10 units per week, 27% consumed 11 to 20 units per week and 19% consumed more than 20 units per week. There was no significant association between alcohol consumption and any semen parameter. 110 men had a female partner who was apparently normal. There was no significant difference in the alcohol intake between the 'normal' and 'abnormal' female groups. Couples were followed-up for up to 32 months. Sixteen women had a treatment independent conception within the 'normal' female group. There was no significant association between the amount of alcohol consumed per week and the fertility outcome.

Alcohol consumption at the time of conception and spontaneous abortion.

The authors studied the association between female and male alcohol intakes at the time of conception and the risk of spontaneous abortion, including early pregnancy loss detected by urinary human chorionic gonadotropin. After a nationwide mailing to about 50,000 members of four trade unions in Denmark in 1992-1994, 430 couples without previous pregnancy attempts were enrolled when birth control was discontinued, and they were followed until a clinically recognized pregnancy or for six menstrual cycles. Alcohol intake and potential confounding factors were reported in monthly questionnaires. Women collected morning urine for 10 days from the first day of vaginal bleeding in each cycle. The authors detected 186 pregnancies: 131 resulted in childbirth, and 55 resulted in spontaneous abortion (34 detected by urinary human chorionic gonadotropin). Depending on the intake in the cycle of conception and the adjustment factors, female alcohol intake was associated with 2-3 times the adjusted risk of spontaneous abortion compared with no intake, and male alcohol intake was associated with 2-5 times the adjusted risk. Only the adjusted relative risks for 10 or more drinks/week compared with no intake were statistically significant. Both male and female alcohol intakes during the week of conception increased the risk of early pregnancy loss.