Kunzmann AT, et al. - Researchers assessed the link between average lifetime alcohol intakes and risk of both cancer incidence and mortality. Findings demonstrated a J-shaped association between alcohol and mortality in older adults. This link continued to exist even after adjustment for cancer risk. In relation to intakes below 1 drink per day, the lowest risk of death was observed.

Methods

• In a population-based cohort study, data from 99,654 adults (68.7% female), aged 55–74 years, participating in the U.S. Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, was used.
• Using Cox proportional hazards models, the risk of overall and cause-specific mortality, cancer incidence (excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer), and combined risk of cancer and death across categories of self-reported average lifetime alcohol intakes were assessed, with adjustment for potential confounders.

Results

• The occurrence of 9599 deaths and 12,763 primary cancers was reported during 836,740 person-years of follow-up (median 8.9 years).
• Researchers found positive linear links between lifetime alcohol consumption and cancer-related mortality and total cancer incidence.
• They also observed J-shaped links between average lifetime alcohol consumption and overall mortality, cardiovascular-related mortality, and combined risk of death or cancer.
• Findings revealed increased overall mortality and combined risk of cancer or death among lifetime never or infrequent drinkers (<1 drink/week), as well as heavy (2–<3 drinks/day) and very heavy drinkers (3+ drinks/day), relative to lifetime light alcohol drinkers (1–3 drinks per week).
• For never drinkers, infrequent drinkers, heavy drinkers, and very heavy drinkers, the estimated corresponding hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for combined risk of cancer or death were 1.09 (1.01–1.13), 1.08 (1.03–1.13), 1.10 (1.02–1.18), and 1.21 (1.13–1.30), respectively.