News Release

Risks and benefits of alcohol consumption vary with age as well as sex

Alcohol consumption and mortality: Modelling risks for men and women at different ages, BMJ Volume 325, pp 191 - 194

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BMJ

The health benefits of alcohol only occur in middle aged and older people, finds a study in this week's BMJ. For men aged up to 35 and women aged up to 55 even light drinkers have a higher risk of death than those who do not drink at all.

Researchers analysed the drinking habits of men and women in England and Wales for age bands 16-24, 25-34, 35-44, and so on up to over 85. Using national death statistics and international epidemiological studies, they then estimated the relation between alcohol consumption and risk of death, and how this varies with age and sex.

They found a direct dose-response relation between alcohol consumption and risk of death in women aged 16-54 and in men aged 16-34. However, the level at which the risk of death was lowest increased with age, reaching 3 units a week in women aged over 65 and 8 units a week in men aged over 65.

The level of alcohol consumption that carries a 5% increase in risk of death increases with age from 8 to 20 units a week in women and from 5 to 34 units a week in men, they add. To incur an increased risk of no more than 5% they suggest that women would be advised to limit their drinking to 1 unit a day up to age 44, 2 units a day up to age 74, and 3 units a day over age 75. Men would be advised to limit their drinking to 1 unit a day up to age 34, 2 units a day up to age 44, 3 units a day up to age 54, 4 units a day up to age 84, and 5 units a day over age 85.

Finally, as most deaths attributable to alcohol at younger ages are due to injuries, a greater focus could be placed on avoiding risky patterns of drinking rather than on reducing average alcohol consumption

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