Is It Too Late to Have a Drink?

Individuals who began consuming alcohol in middle age had no increased mortality risk and had lower rates of cardiovascular events than did persistent nondrinkers.

Moderate alcohol consumption is acceptable as part of a healthy lifestyle, yet current guidelines advise adults not to start drinking if they haven’t already done so. To assess the cardiac effects of initiating moderate drinking in middle age, researchers used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study to retrospectively evaluate 7359 baseline nondrinkers, aged 45 to 64 and with no history of cardiovascular disease, during a 10-year period.

During an initial 6-year observation period, 93.6% of the cohort continued to abstain from alcohol, 6% started drinking in moderation (1–14 drinks per week for men, 1–7 per week for women), and 0.4% reported heavier alcohol use. Of the individuals who began moderate alcohol consumption…

Reviewing Author

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Is It Too Late to Have a Drink?

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Reviewing Author