Drinking pattern and mortality in middle-aged men and women.
OBJECTIVE
To address the prospective association between alcohol drinking pattern and all-cause mortality.


METHODS
Population-based cohort study conducted between 1993 and 2003.


METHODS
Denmark.


METHODS
A total of 26 909 men and 29 626 women aged 55-65 years.


METHODS
We obtained risk estimates for all-cause mortality for different levels of quantity and frequency of alcohol intake adjusted for life-style factors, including diet.


RESULTS
During follow-up, 1528 men and 915 women died. For the same average consumption of alcohol, a non-frequent intake implied a higher risk of death than a frequent one.


CONCLUSIONS
Drinking pattern and not just the total amount of alcohol consumed is important for the association between alcohol intake and mortality. These results suggest that future public guidelines concerning sensible alcohol drinking should include messages about drinking pattern together with quantity of alcohol.
Tolstrup
Janne S
JS
Centre for Alcohol Research, National Institute of Public Health, Copenhagen, Denmark. jst@niph.dk
Jensen
Majken K
MK
Tjønneland
Anne
A
Overvad
Kim
K
Grønbaek
Morten
M
D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires