Table 2.
Type of alcohol consumed and adjusted risk for poor health outcomes
| N = 309,123. Number used for analysis. N = 286,115 (92.6%) used for analysis after excluding missing values. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of alcohol consumed | All-cause mortality | MACE | Liver cirrhosis | Accidents/self-harm/assaults | New cancer (all-cause) incidence | Alcohol cancer incidence | ||||||
| Events = 8869 (2.9%) | HR with 95% CI; p value | Events = 5246 (1.7%) | HR with 95% CI; p value | Events = 838 (0.3%) | HR with 95% CI; p value | Events = 16,818 (5.4%) | HR with 95% CI; p value | Events = 27,543 (8.9%) | HR with 95% CI; p value | Events = 6529 (2.1%) | HR with 95% CI; p value | |
| Red wine drinkers (reference) N = 80,655 (26.1%) | 1847 (2.3%) | 1 | 1067 (1.3%) | 1 | 119 (0.1%) | 1 | 4090 (5.1%) | 1 | 7192 (8.9%) | 1 | 1878 (2.3%) | 1 |
| Beer or cider drinkers N = 89,139 (28.9%) | 3441 (3.8%) | 1.18 (1.10–1.27); p < 0.01 | 2076 (2.3%) | 1.16 (1.05–1.27); p < 0.01 | 401 (0.4%) | 1.36 (1.06–1.74); p = 0.02 | 5290 (5.9%) | 1.11 (1.06–1.17); p < 0.01 | 7950 (8.9%) | 0.99 (0.95–1.03); p = 0.56 | 1294 (1.4%) | 1.02 (0.94–1.12); p = 0.59 |
| White wine drinkers N = 54,355 (17.5%) | 1121 (2.1%) | 1.03 (0.95–1.11); p = 0.49 | 606 (1.1%) | 1.05 (0.94–1.18); p = 0.33 | 105 (0.2%) | 1.21 (0.91–1.61); p = 0.19 | 2885 (5.3%) | 1.03 (0.98–1.09); p = 0.19 | 4483 (8.2%) | 1.03 (0.99–1.07); p = 0.19 | 1489 (2.7%) | 1.02 (0.95–1.10); p = 0.53 |
| Spirits drinkers N = 16,397 (5.3%) | 717 (4.4%) | 1.25 (1.14–1.38); p < 0.01 | 396 (2.4%) | 1.31 (1.15–1.50); p < 0.01 | 92 (0.6%) | 1.48 (1.08–2.03); p = 0.01 | 1086 (6.6%) | 1.10 (1.03–1.19); p < 0.01 | 1581 (9.6%) | 1.00 (0.95–1.07); p = 0.85 | 435 (2.7%) | 1.03 (0.91–1.15); p = 0.65 |
| Mixed N = 68,577 (22.2%) | 1743 (2.5%) | 1.08 (1.01–1.16); p = 0.03 | 1101 (1.6%) | 1.16 (1.06–1.27); p = 0.01 | 121 (0.2%) | 1.14 (0.87–1.48); p = 0.19 | 3467 (5.1%) | 1.02 (0.97–1.07); p = 0.41 | 6337 (9.2%) | 1.03 (0.99–1.07); p = 0.08 | 1433 (2.1%) | 1.00 (0.93–1.08); p = 0.96 |
| Global p value for heterogeneity | – | < 0.01 | – | < 0.01 | – | < 0.01 | – | < 0.01 | – | < 0.01 | – | 0.03 |
Legend: HR hazard Ratio, CI confidence intervals, MACE major adverse cardiovascular event. Alcohol new cancers = breast, colon, rectum, larynx, liver and oesophagus. All results adjusted for age, sex, Townsend score for socio-economic deprivation (continuous), average weekly alcohol units (continuous), alcohol consumption frequency, alcohol consumption pattern with/without meals, smoking habits, BMI, physical activity levels, number of long-term conditions, self-rated health and C-reactive protein levels at baseline. MACE events model adjusted for all the above plus presence of diabetes, hypertension, systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol levels at baseline. Cirrhosis events model adjusted for all of the above plus gamma glutamyl transpeptidase levels at baseline