Moderate Alcohol Drinkers Experience Fewer Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes

Prior studies have shown that both drinking no alcohol and heavy alcohol consumption are associated with higher risk for cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality compared with moderate drinking — a “U-shaped” association. However, some of these studies categorized both never drinkers and former drinkers as nondrinkers — a methodological flaw that could have biased results, because former drinkers might have excess risk for CV disease. In this population-based U.K. cohort study, researchers assessed associations between specific categories of alcohol consumption and multiple adverse CV outcomes in almost 2 million adults without known CV disease at baseline.

During a median follow-up of 6 years, 115,000 participants received incident CV di…