title: Alcohol intake and incidence of coronary disease in Australian aborigines.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in relation to alcohol in a cohort of Australian Aborigines.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 1988-1989, alcohol intake, drinking pattern, and beverage preference were elicited by interviewer-administered questionnaire in Western Australian Aborigines (258 men and 256 women) and cardiovascular outcomes ascertained through linkage to mortality and hospital admission records to 2002.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In proportional hazards models, risk for CHD, relative to lifetime abstainers, was significantly increased in ex-drinkers [Hazard ratio (HR), 2.29; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.23-4.27], those drinking 41-60 g/day in men or 21-40 g/day in women (HR 2.80; 95% CI, 1.04-7.53) and those drinking >150 g/day for men or >100 g/day for women (HR, 2.25; 95% CI, 1.03-4.90) with a J-shaped relationship. Low-to-moderate drinkers had lower waist girth, exercised more and had a lower prevalence of overweight and smoking than at-risk drinkers. A preference for wine was associated with lower HR (0.28; 95% CI, 0.10-0.95). With CVD, only ex-drinkers showed significantly increased risk (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.20-2.91).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More favourable health-related behaviours in low-to-moderate drinkers suggest that lower risk could be mediated by lifestyle, as proposed in other populations.
authors.affiliation: University of Western Australia, School of Medicine and Pharmacology, Royal Perth Hospital Unit, Box X2213 GPO, Perth 6847, Australia. vburke@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spargo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Beilin
authors.forename: I B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Puddey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio; D014904:Western Australia; D014920:Wine