Background
Studies suggest that moderate drinkers have lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality
than nondrinkers and heavy drinkers, but there have been no randomized trials on this
topic. Although most observational studies control for major cardiac risk factors,
CVD is independently associated with other factors that could explain the CVD benefits
ascribed to moderate drinking.
Methods
Data from the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a population-based
telephone survey of U.S. adults, was used to assess the prevalence of CVD risk factors
and potential confounders among moderate drinkers and nondrinkers. Moderate drinkers
were defined as men who drank an average of two drinks per day or fewer, or women
who drank one drink or fewer per day.
Results
After adjusting for age and gender, nondrinkers were more likely to have characteristics
associated with increased CVD mortality in terms of demographic factors, social factors,
behavioral factors, access to health care, and health-related conditions. Of the 30
CVD-associated factors or groups of factors that we assessed, 27 (90%) were significantly
more prevalent among nondrinkers. Among factors with multiple categories (e.g., body
weight), those in higher-risk groups were progressively more likely to be nondrinkers.
Removing those with poor health status or a history of CVD did not affect the results.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that some or all of the apparent protective effect of moderate
alcohol consumption on CVD may be due to residual or unmeasured confounding. Given
their limitations, nonrandomized studies about the health effects of moderate drinking
should be interpreted with caution, particularly since excessive alcohol consumption
is a leading health hazard in the United States.
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© 2005 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
