title: The relationship between alcohol consumption, health indicators and mortality in the German population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The patterns of total alcohol, beer and wine consumption were evaluated in the German National Health Surveys. The impact of these habits on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality as well as cardiovascular risk factors and liver disease parameters was estimated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Independent representative samples of the German population (15,400 people), and regional samples of the Berlin-Spandau population (2,370 in total), aged 25-69 years, were analysed. The amount and frequency of alcohol consumption was assessed with standardized questionnaires. Biochemical analyses included serum lipids and gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (Gamma GT). Multiple analyses of variance were used to determine the relationship between alcohol intake and biochemical parameters. A mortality follow-up of about 7 years was conducted for the Berlin-Spandau population. Proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over 80% of men and 55% of women in Germany drink alcohol on a regular base. The majority of the consumers (65% of men, 87% of women) are light (1-20 g/day) or moderate (21-40 g/day) drinkers. Higher serum high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and Gamma GT levels were observed with increasing alcohol intake. In light and moderate drinkers no significant relationship was seen with non-HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and body mass index, compared to teetotallers. Men who consumed 1-20 g alcohol/day had a significantly lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. As compared to nondrinkers, the risk was almost 50% lower.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that light (and possibly moderate) alcohol consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular and total mortality risk and is favourably related to HDL-cholesterol.
authors.affiliation: Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Soziale Medizin, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoffmeister
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Schelp
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Mensink
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Böhning
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase