We examined whether the often-reported protective association of alcohol with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk could arise from confounding. Our sample comprised 908 men (56-67 years), free of prevalent CVD. Participants were categorized into 6 groups: never drinkers, former drinkers, and very light (1-4 drinks in past 14 days), light (5-14 drinks), moderate (15-28 drinks), and at-risk (>28 drinks) drinkers. Generalized linear mixed effect models examined the associations of alcohol use with three established CVD risk scores: The Framingham Risk Score (FRS); the atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk score; and the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) Severity score, adjusting for group differences in demographics, body size, and health-related behaviors. In separate models we additionally adjusted for several groups of potentially explanatory factors including socioeconomic status, social support, physical and mental health status, childhood factors, and prior history of alcohol misuse. Results showed lower CVD risk among light and moderate alcohol drinkers, relative to very light drinkers, for all CVD risk scores, independent of demographics, body size, and health-related behaviors. Alcohol-CVD risk associations were robust to further adjustment for several groups of potential explanatory factors. Study limitations include the all-male sample with limited racial and ethnic diversity, and the inability to adjust for sugar consumption and for patterns of alcohol consumption. Although this observational study does not address causation, results show that middle-aged men who consume alcohol in moderation have lower CVD risk and better cardiometabolic health than men who consume little or no alcohol, independent of a variety of health, behavioral, psychosocial, and earlier life factors.
PURPOSE: To investigate how a healthy lifestyle index (HLI) is associated with breast cancer risk and survival in a population-based breast cancer study.
METHODS: The study included 1319 breast cancer cases and 1310 controls from the population-based Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project and its follow-up study where vital status was ascertained using the National Death Index (521 deaths, 210 from breast cancer; median follow-up 214.5 months). HLI scores were generated from body mass index, physical activity, intake of plant and animal foods, alcohol consumption, breastfeeding, and smoking, with higher values corresponding to healthier behaviors obtained from baseline questionnaire. Multivariable logistic and Cox regression models were used to estimate breast cancer odds ratios (ORs) and mortality hazards ratios (HRs), respectively.
RESULTS: Compared to women in the low HLI tertile, a significant reduction in risk of breast cancer was observed for women in the intermediate (OR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.64-0.93) and high (OR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.60-0.88) tertiles; a one-point increase in HLI score was associated with a 14% reduction in breast cancer risk (OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.80-0.93). For survival, a significant reduction in all-cause mortality was also observed in women in the intermediate (HR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.56-0.84) and high (HR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.58-0.88) HLI tertiles with a 17% reduction in all-cause mortality (HR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.76-0.91) for one-point increase in HLI score. These inverse associations were more prominent among postmenopausal women.
CONCLUSION: A healthy lifestyle is beneficial not only in reducing breast cancer risk but also in improving overall survival after breast cancer diagnosis, especially among postmenopausal women.
This work aimed to relate alcohol consumption with adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and with food neophobia (FN) among Italian and Spanish university students. Volunteers (n = 194, 108 Italian and 86 Spanish), recruited at the La Sapienza University of Rome and the Catholic University of Murcia, filled in standardized questionnaires to evaluate alcohol consumption (AUDIT), FN (FN Scale: FNS), and adherence to the MD (MDS-14, MED-55, QueMD).
In addition to the previously reported QueMD sub-score (aMED), a sub-score for non-typical MD foods (ntMED, carbonated and/or sugar-sweetened beverages (soft drinks), butter, margarine, or cooking cream, and manufactured sweets, pastries, and cakes) was evaluated. Italian females had higher MED-55 and FNS scores, and a lower AUDIT score than Spaniards (p < 0.01). Students who stayed with their family (resident) were more adherent to MD than those who moved away from home. Resident Italians consumed less beer, hard liquors, and cocktails than Spaniards on Saturday nights (p < 0.01).
There were negative correlations between AUDIT and QueMD (R squared: 0.137, p < 0.05), and AUDIT and ntMED (R squared: 0.201, p < 0.01) in Spaniards, however, there was no relationship between AUDIT and other MD scores. In conclusion, this pilot study suggests that non-typical MD foods and Saturday night consumptions, related to being far from home, have a great impact on alcohol consumption.