Table 2.
Findings from studies included in the systematic review.
| Study | Main Results | Additional Findings |
|---|---|---|
| Aida et al., 2011 [37] | NTCR of basal cells was significantly larger in controls than in alcoholic patients | Basal cells had larger NTCR than parabasal cells |
| Aida et al., 2019 [38] | No difference in NTCR between non-drinkers and drinkers | No difference in NTCR between active or inactive ALDH2 genotypes |
| Dixit et al., 2019 [39] | At baseline and after 5 years of follow-up, TL was not different between alcohol consumers and alcohol abstainers. Weekly alcohol consumption did not correlate with TL | In Heart and Soul Study, binge drinking was associated with shorter TL. In Cardiovascular Health Study, no association between alcohol type and TL |
| Latifovic et al., 2015 [40] | No association between alcohol consumption and relative TL | Smoking status was associated with relative TL |
| Liu et al., 2013 [41] | No association between alcohol intake and relative TL | No relationships of folate, choline, methionine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and polymorphisms involved in one-carbon metabolism with relative TL |
| Martins de Carvalho et al., 2019 [42] | Alcohol use disorder was associated with lower relative TL. However, drinking behaviors were not associated with relative TL | A significant interaction between age and alcohol use disorder on relative telomere length was evident |
| Needham et al., 2013 [43] | No association between alcohol use and relative TL | The association between educational level and TL was partially mediated by smoking and body mass index but not by drinking or sedentary behavior |
| Pavanello et al., 2011 [44] | Relative TL was lower in alcohol abusers than in controls. The number of drinks per year was associated with relative TL in the overall population and among alcohol abusers | Polymorphisms in ADH1C and ALDH2 genes were not associated with TL |
| Révész et al., 2016 [45] | At the baseline, heavy drinking was associated with shorter TL if compared with moderate drinking | The association was not significant after adjusting for other predictors |
| Shin and Baik, 2016 [46] | No association between alcohol consumption and relative TL | An inverse association was found for heavy drinking among participants with mutant alleles of rs2074356 of ALDH2 gene |
| Strandberg et al., 2012 [47] | Age-adjusted TL was inversely associated with alcohol consumption at the baseline but not at the last follow-up | The association remained significant after adjusting for smoking, body mass index, cholesterol, perceived fitness |
| Tannous et al., 2019 [48] | Relative TL was lower in patients with alcohol disorder than in controls, but this difference was not statistically significant | NR |
| Weischer et al., 2014 [49] | No association between alcohol intake and TL | TL was associated with age, smoking status, body mass index, and physical inactivity |
| Yamaki et al., 2018 [50] | TL was shorter in patients with alcoholic disorders than controls | No association with cancer diagnosis, ADH1B and ALDH2 polymorphisms |
Abbreviations: NTCR, Normalized telomere-to-centromere ratio; TL, Telomere length; NR, Not relevant.