Association Between Moderate Alcohol Consumption and Mortality Benefits: Dwindling Evidence?

Previous research has shown a J-shaped relation between alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality (i.e., moderate drinkers live longer than nondrinkers and heavy drinkers). However, in some studies, former heavy drinkers (who have poorer health than never drinkers) were categorized as nondrinkers; hence, the J-shaped relation might reflect confounding rather than a biological mechanism. Researchers reassessed the relation between alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality in nearly 53,000 adults who participated in a U.K. health survey. Analyses were stratified by sex and age group (50–64 and ≥65) and adjusted for multiple potential confounders such as body-mass index and smoking.

Compared with nondrinkers (a category that included former…