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Thursday, February 11, 2010

Irregular Heavy Drinking Occasions and Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis


Contrary to a cardioprotective effect of moderate regular alcohol consumption, accumulating evidence points to a detrimental effect of irregular heavy drinking occasions (>60 g of pure alcohol or ≥5 drinks per occasion at least monthly) on ischemic heart disease risk, even for drinkers whose average consumption is moderate.

In a random-effects model, the pooled relative risk of irregular heavy drinking occasions compared with regular moderate drinking was 1.45 (95% confidence interval: 1.24, 1.70), with significant between-study heterogeneity (I2 = 53.9%). Results were robust in several sensitivity analyses.

The authors concluded that the cardioprotective effect of moderate alcohol consumption disappears when, on average, light to moderate drinking is mixed with irregular heavy drinking occasions.

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Request Reprint E-Mail: m.roerecke@web.de
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