BACKGROUND: There is limited research examining beverage habits, one of the most habitual dietary behaviors, with mortality risk.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between coffee, black and green tea, sugar-sweetened beverages (soft drinks and juice), and alcohol and all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
METHODS: A prospective data analysis was conducted with the use of the Singapore Chinese Health Study, including 52,584 Chinese men and women (aged 45-74 y) free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer at baseline (1993-1998) and followed through 2011 with 10,029 deaths. Beverages were examined with all-cause and cause-specific (cancer, CVD, and respiratory disease) mortality risk with the use of Cox proportional hazards regression.
RESULTS: The associations between coffee, black tea, and alcohol intake and all-cause mortality were modified by smoking status. Among never-smokers there was an inverse dose-response association between higher amounts of coffee and black tea intake and all-cause, respiratory-related, and CVD mortality (black tea only). The fully adjusted HRs for all-cause mortality for coffee for <1/d, 1/d, and >/=2/d relative to no coffee intake were 0.89, 0.86, and 0.83, respectively (P-trend = 0.0003). For the same black tea categories the HRs were 0.95, 0.90, and 0.72, respectively (P-trend = 0.0005). Among ever-smokers there was no association between coffee or black tea and the outcomes. Relative to no alcohol, light to moderate intake was inversely associated with all-cause mortality (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.79, 0.96) in never-smokers with a similar magnitude of association in ever-smokers. There was no association between heavy alcohol intake and all-cause mortality in never-smokers and a strong positive association in ever-smokers (HR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.40, 1.74). Green tea and sugar-sweetened beverages were not associated with all-cause or cause-specific mortality.
CONCLUSIONS: Higher coffee and black tea intake was inversely associated with mortality in never-smokers, light to moderate alcohol intake was inversely associated with mortality regardless of smoking status, heavy alcohol intake was positively associated with mortality in ever-smokers, and there was no association between sugar-sweetened beverages and green tea and mortality.
OBJECTIVE: Western studies suggest that beverages may affect serum urate (SU) levels, but data from Asian populations are scarce. We evaluated the associations between beverages and SU levels in Singaporean Chinese.
METHODS: The study population consisted of 483 subjects ages 45-74 years from the Singapore Chinese Health Study cohort, recruited between 1993 and 1998. Lifestyle factors, medical histories, and diet were collected through in-person interviews. SU levels and other biomarkers were measured from blood collected between 1994 and 1996.
RESULTS: The mean age was 57.6 years and 44% were men. The geometric mean SU level was 321 mumoles/liter (range 157-719). Mean SU levels increased with alcohol consumption (P = 0.024 for trend). The mean SU level of daily alcohol drinkers was 42.6 mumoles/liter higher than that of nondrinkers. Similarly, increasing frequency of green tea intake was associated with rising SU levels. The highest mean SU level was observed in daily green tea drinkers (difference of 25.0 mumoles/liter) relative to nondrinkers (P = 0.009 for trend). Compared to nondrinkers, daily alcohol drinkers had an almost 5-fold increase in association with hyperuricemia (odds ratio [OR] 4.83, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.10-21.23), whereas daily green tea drinkers had a 2-fold increase in association with hyperuricemia (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.03-4.36). The present study did not show elevated levels of SU in individuals who consumed black tea, coffee, fruit juice, or soda.
CONCLUSION: Alcohol consumption increases SU levels. The finding that daily drinking of green tea is associated with hyperuricemia needs validation in future studies.
BACKGROUND: Controversies still exist regarding the existence of a 'safe' level of alcohol intake during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of fetal death (spontaneous abortion and stillbirth) according to maternal alcohol consumption in a large Danish pregnancy cohort.
METHODS: A cohort study carried out within the framework of the Danish National Birth Cohort. A total of the 92 719 participants enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort who provided information about lifestyle during first trimester of pregnancy were included in the study. Information about average weekly consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, smoking, coffee drinking, occupational status and reproductive history were obtained by means of computer-assisted telephone interviews. Pregnancy outcomes (spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, live birth and other pregnancy outcome) and gestational age at end of pregnancy were obtained through register linkage with the Civil Registration System and the National Discharge Registry. Data were analysed using Cox regression models, taking the varying gestational age at recruitment and time-dependent co-variables into account.
RESULTS: Fifty-five per cent of the participants abstained from alcohol drinking during pregnancy and only 2.2% reported four or more drinks per week. The adjusted hazard ratios for fetal death in first trimester were 1.66 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43-1.92] and 2.82 (95% CI 2.27-3.49) for women who reported 2-3½ drinks per week and 4 or more drinks per week, respectively, and 1.57 (95% CI 1.30-1.90) and 1.73 (95% CI 1.24-2.41) for fetal death during pregnancy weeks 13-16. No increased risk was found for fetal death after 16 weeks of pregnancy.
CONCLUSIONS: Even low amounts of alcohol consumption during early pregnancy increased the risk of spontaneous abortion substantially. The results indicate that the fetus is particularly susceptible to alcohol exposure early in pregnancy.
BACKGROUND: Controversies still exist regarding the existence of a 'safe' level of alcohol intake during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of fetal death (spontaneous abortion and stillbirth) according to maternal alcohol consumption in a large Danish pregnancy cohort.
METHODS: A cohort study carried out within the framework of the Danish National Birth Cohort. A total of the 92 719 participants enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort who provided information about lifestyle during first trimester of pregnancy were included in the study. Information about average weekly consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, smoking, coffee drinking, occupational status and reproductive history were obtained by means of computer-assisted telephone interviews. Pregnancy outcomes (spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, live birth and other pregnancy outcome) and gestational age at end of pregnancy were obtained through register linkage with the Civil Registration System and the National Discharge Registry. Data were analysed using Cox regression models, taking the varying gestational age at recruitment and time-dependent co-variables into account.
RESULTS: Fifty-five per cent of the participants abstained from alcohol drinking during pregnancy and only 2.2% reported four or more drinks per week. The adjusted hazard ratios for fetal death in first trimester were 1.66 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43-1.92] and 2.82 (95% CI 2.27-3.49) for women who reported 2-3½ drinks per week and 4 or more drinks per week, respectively, and 1.57 (95% CI 1.30-1.90) and 1.73 (95% CI 1.24-2.41) for fetal death during pregnancy weeks 13-16. No increased risk was found for fetal death after 16 weeks of pregnancy.
CONCLUSIONS: Even low amounts of alcohol consumption during early pregnancy increased the risk of spontaneous abortion substantially. The results indicate that the fetus is particularly susceptible to alcohol exposure early in pregnancy.