The U-shaped curve: Various health measures and alcohol drinking patterns

Objective: To determine whether the well-known U-shaped relationship betwee n average alcohol intake and mortality also holds for other health measures and for aspects of drinking other than weekly average alcohol intake, such as frequency of heavy-drinking episodes. Method: This study was carried ou r within the framework of a general population survey conducted in Eindhove n, The Netherlands (N = 18,973). Apart from mortality, the following health measures were considered: self-assessed health (based on perceived general health and the Nottingham Health Profile questionnaire), a list of chronic conditions and a list of health complaints. Respondents were categorized a s abstainers, light (1-14 units/week), moderate (15-28 units/week) and exce ssive drinkers (greater than or equal to 29 units/week). Information on the frequency with which heavy-drinking episodes occurred was also available. Results: Light or moderate drinkers had not only lower mortality but other health burdens were lower than for either abstainers or heavier drinkers. F requent heavy-drinking episodes were observed to be directly related to inc reased mortality rates, although nor significantly. A trend was observed fo r drinkers reporting seldom heavy-drinking episodes (once or twice in the p revious 6 months) to report less health burdens and to have lower mortality rates than those reporting no heavy drinking episodes. Conclusions: A U-sh aped pattern was observed for mortality as well as for several other health measures. Frequent heavy-drinking episodes were related to an increased li kelihood of mortality (not significant but suggesting a J-shaped pattern) a nd were not related to other health measures.