Aims

To support the free and open dissemination of research findings and information on alcoholism and alcohol-related problems. To encourage open access to peer-reviewed articles free for all to view.

For full versions of posted research articles readers are encouraged to email requests for "electronic reprints" (text file, PDF files, FAX copies) to the corresponding or lead author, who is highlighted in the posting.

___________________________________________

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Patterns of Alcohol Drinking and All-Cause Mortality: Results from a Large-Scale Population-based Cohort Study in Japan

American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published online on March 6, 2007






Tomomi Marugame1,
Seiichiro Yamamoto1,
Itsuro Yoshimi2,
Tomotaka Sobue1,
Manami Inoue3,
Shoichiro Tsugane3
for the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study Group

1 Cancer Information Services and Surveillance Division, Center for Cancer Control and Information Services, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan
2 Tobacco Control Information Section, Center for Information Research & Library, National Institute of Public Health, Saitama, Japan
3 Epidemiology and Prevention Division, Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan

Reprint requests to Dr. Tomomi Marugame, Statistics and Cancer Control Division, Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening, National Cancer Center, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan (e-mail: tmarugam@gan2.res.ncc.go.jp ).

Abstract

To evaluate the hypothesis that, in terms of all-cause death, drinking alcohol 1–4 days per week is less harmful than daily (5–7 days/week) drinking of the same quantity of alcohol, a prospective cohort study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted in Japan between 1990 and 2003 of 88,746 subjects (41,702 men and 47,044 women) aged 40–69 years at baseline.

Among male regular drinkers consuming alcohol more than 1 day per week, light drinkers (<300> no increase in all-cause mortality irrespective of frequency of alcohol intake.

Heavy drinkers (≥300 g/week), however, showed an increased risk of all-cause mortality among those who consumed alcohol 5–7 days per week, while no obvious increase was observed among those who consumed alcohol less than 4 days per week.

Hazard ratios for drinkers who consumed alcohol 5–7 days per week were 1.29 (95% confidence interval: 1.12, 1.50) for 300–449 g per week and 1.55 (95% confidence interval: 1.32, 1.81) for ≥450 g per week when compared with those for occasional drinkers who consumed alcohol 1–3 days per month.

These findings support the Japanese social belief that "liver holidays," abstaining from alcohol for more than 2 days per week, are important for heavy drinkers.

at