Are stress related factors associated with alcohol intake?
Moderate alcohol consumption is related to reduced risks of coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality. Our goal is to advance our understanding of the associations between stress-related factors and alcohol consumption, using cutoff points for alcohol intake that reflect health benefits rather than health risks. Cross-sectional data were used from 4,131 respondents (age 20-65 years) participating in a cohort study in the Netherlands on psychosocial factors and cancer risk. Analyses were performed among drinkers only, for men and women separately. Heavy alcohol intake (>/= 3 glasses per day for men, >/= 2 glasses per day for women) was associated with only a few stress-related factors in multivariate analyses. No significant associations between the total amount of stressors and alcohol intake were found. We conclude that stress-related factors are only marginally associated with a heavy alcohol intake compared with fair drinking, using the safe limits of drinking as cutoff point.
van Loon
A Jeanne M
AJ
National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands. jeanne.van.loon@rivm.nl
Tijhuis
Marja
M
Schuit
A Jantine
AJ
van Oers
Hans A M
HA
Surtees
Paul G
PG
Ormel
Johan
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012016:Reference Values; D013315:Stress, Psychological