[Beer, wine, spirits and mortality. Results from a prospective population study].
BACKGROUND
The aim of the present population-based cohort study was to examine the association between alcohol intake and mortality from all causes, coronary heart disease, and cancer.


METHODS
A prospective population study with baseline assessment of beer, wine and spirit consumption, smoking habits, educational level, physical activity, and body mass index in a total of 257,859 person-years follow-up on mortality.


RESULTS
A total of 4833 participants died, 1075 of these from coronary heart disease and 1552 of cancer. Compared with non-drinkers, light drinkers, who avoided wine, had a relative risk of death from all causes of 0.90 (0.82-0.99) and those who drank wine had a relative risk of 0.66 (0.55-0.77). Heavy drinkers, who avoided wine, were at higher risk of death from all causes than were heavy drinkers, who included wine in their alcohol consumption. Wine drinkers had a significantly lower mortality from both coronary heart disease and cancer than had non-wine drinkers (p = 0.007 and p = 0.004, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
A moderate consumption of wine may have a beneficial effect on all causes of mortality, which is additive to that of alcohol. This effect may be attributable to a reduction in death from both coronary heart disease and cancer.
Grønbaek
M N
MN
H:S Kommunehospitalet, Hovedstadens Center for Prospektive Befolkningsstudier, og Center for Epidemiologisk Grundforskning ved Institut for Sygdomsforebyggelse.
Becker
P U
PU
Johansen
D
D
Gottschau
A
A
Schnohr
P
P
Hein
H O
HO
Jensen
G B
GB
Sørensen
T I
TI
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D001515:Beer / Q000009:adverse effects; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014920:Wine / Q000009:adverse effects