TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of inflammation on the relationship among alcohol consumption, mortality, and cardiac events
T2 - The health, aging, and body composition study
AU - Maraldi, Cinzia
AU - Volpato, Stefano
AU - Kritchevsky, Stephen B.
AU - Cesari, Matteo
AU - Andresen, Elena
AU - Leeuwenburgh, Christiaan
AU - Harris, Tamara B.
AU - Newman, Anne B.
AU - Kanaya, Alka
AU - Johnson, Karen C.
AU - Rodondi, Nicolas
AU - Pahor, Marco
PY - 2006/7/24
Y1 - 2006/7/24
N2 - Background: Uncertainty remains about the overall survival benefit of alcohol consumption and the mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective effect of light to moderate alcohol intake. Recent evidence suggests an anti-inflammatory effect of light to moderate alcohol consumption. We investigated the relationship of alcohol intake with all-cause mortality and cardiac events and evaluated whether this relationship is mediated or modified by inflammatory markers. Methods: The analysis included 2487 subjects, aged 70 to 79 years, without baseline coronary heart disease (CHD) or heart failure (HF), participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. All-cause mortality and incident cardiac events (CHD and HF) were detected during a mean follow-up of 5.6 years. Alcohol consumption and serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed at baseline. Results: A total of 397 participants died, and 383 experienced an incident cardiac event. Compared with never or occasional drinkers, subjects drinking 1 to 7 drinks per week had lower age-, sex-, and race-adjusted incidences of death (27.4 vs 20.1 per 1000 person-years, respectively) and cardiac events (28.9 vs 20.8 per 1000 person-years). After adjustment for confounders, compared with never or occasional drinkers, light to moderate drinkers (1-7 drinks per week) showed a decreased risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-1.00) and cardiac events (HR, 0.72; CI, 0.54-0.97). Adjustment for potential mediators, and particularly inflammatory marker levels, did not affect the strength of this association. Conclusion: Light to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with significantly lower rates of cardiac events and longer survival, independent of its antiinflammatory effect.
AB - Background: Uncertainty remains about the overall survival benefit of alcohol consumption and the mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective effect of light to moderate alcohol intake. Recent evidence suggests an anti-inflammatory effect of light to moderate alcohol consumption. We investigated the relationship of alcohol intake with all-cause mortality and cardiac events and evaluated whether this relationship is mediated or modified by inflammatory markers. Methods: The analysis included 2487 subjects, aged 70 to 79 years, without baseline coronary heart disease (CHD) or heart failure (HF), participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. All-cause mortality and incident cardiac events (CHD and HF) were detected during a mean follow-up of 5.6 years. Alcohol consumption and serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed at baseline. Results: A total of 397 participants died, and 383 experienced an incident cardiac event. Compared with never or occasional drinkers, subjects drinking 1 to 7 drinks per week had lower age-, sex-, and race-adjusted incidences of death (27.4 vs 20.1 per 1000 person-years, respectively) and cardiac events (28.9 vs 20.8 per 1000 person-years). After adjustment for confounders, compared with never or occasional drinkers, light to moderate drinkers (1-7 drinks per week) showed a decreased risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-1.00) and cardiac events (HR, 0.72; CI, 0.54-0.97). Adjustment for potential mediators, and particularly inflammatory marker levels, did not affect the strength of this association. Conclusion: Light to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with significantly lower rates of cardiac events and longer survival, independent of its antiinflammatory effect.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33746394677&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33746394677&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1001/archinte.166.14.1490
DO - 10.1001/archinte.166.14.1490
M3 - Article
C2 - 16864759
AN - SCOPUS:33746394677
SN - 0003-9926
VL - 166
SP - 1490
EP - 1497
JO - Archives of internal medicine
JF - Archives of internal medicine
IS - 14
ER -