Alcohol intake and the risk of lung cancer: Influence of type of alcoholicbeverage

Alcohol consumption has been associated with an increased risk of lung canc er, but the antioxidants in wine may, in theory, provide protection. This a ssociation was studied in 28,160 men and women subjects from three prospect ive studies conducted in 1964-1992 in Copenhagen, Denmark. After adjustment for age, smoking, and education, a low to moderate alcohol intake (1-20 dr inks per week) was not associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Me n who consumed 21-41 and more than 41 drinks per week had relative risks of 1.23 (95% confidence interval (Ct) 0.88-1.74) and 1.57 (95% CI 1.06-2.33), respectively The risk of lung cancer differed according to the type of alc ohol consumed: After abstainers were excluded, drinkers of 1-13 and more th an 13 glasses of wine per week had relative risks of 0.78 (95% CI 0.63-0.97 ) and 0.44 (95% CI 0.22-0.86), respectively, as compared with nondrinkers o f wine (p for trend = 0.002). Corresponding relative risks for beer intake were 1.09 (95% CI 0.83-1.43) and 1.36 (95% CI 1.02-1.82), respectively (p f or trend = 0.01); for spirits, they were 1.21 (95% CI 0.97-1.50) and 1.46 ( 95% CI 0.99-2.14), respectively (p for trend = 0.02). In women, the ability to detect associations with high alcohol intake and type of beverage was l imited because of a limited range of alcohol intake. The authors concluded that in men, a high consumption of beer and spirits is associated with an i ncreased risk of lung cancer, whereas wine intake may protect against the d evelopment of lung cancer.