Previous cohort studies have reported conflicting associations between alcohol consumption and chronic kidney disease, characterized by proteinuria and low glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This systematic review, which included 14,634,940 participants from 11 cohort studies, assessed a dose-dependent association of alcohol consumption and incidence of proteinuria and low estimated GFR (eGFR) of <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). Compared with non-drinkers, the incidence of proteinuria was lower in drinkers with alcohol consumption of =12.0 g/day (relative risk 0.87 [95% confidence interval 0.83, 0.92]), but higher in drinkers with alcohol consumption of 36.1-60.0 g/day (1.09 [1.03, 1.15]), suggesting a J-shaped association between alcohol consumption and the incidence of proteinuria. Incidence of low eGFR was lower in drinkers with alcohol consumption of =12.0 and 12.1-36.0 than in non-drinkers (=12.0, 12.1-36.0, and 36.1-60.0 g/day: 0.93 [0.90, 0.95], 0.82 [0.78, 0.86], and 0.89 [0.77, 1.03], respectively), suggesting that drinkers were at lower risk of low eGFR. In conclusion, compared with non-drinkers, mild drinkers were at lower risk of proteinuria and low eGFR, whereas heavy drinkers had a higher risk of proteinuria but a lower risk of low eGFR. The clinical impact of high alcohol consumption should be assessed in well-designed studies.
AIM: This study aimed to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: PubMed and Web of Science databases were systematically searched as of 1 September 2019. Relative risk and 95% CI were used to evaluate the association between alcohol consumption and AD risk. Subgroup analyses based on the type of alcohol, ethnicity, study design and sex were carried out. An alcohol dose-response meta-analysis was carried out. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies were included in the quantitative synthesis, and six were used in the dose-response meta-analysis. Compared with non-drinkers, individuals who drank had a lower risk of AD (relative risk 0.68, 95% CI 0.53-0.87; I(2) = 87.9%, P < 0.001). In subgroup analyses, drinking wine was found to reduce the occurrence of AD (relative risk 0.71, 95% CI 0.51-0.96). When stratified by ethnicity, sex and study design, no association was seen between AD risk and alcohol use. There was an overall non-linear, but not significant, association between alcohol intake dose and AD risk. A significant non-linear association was observed between excess AD risk and alcohol intake dose in men (overall P = 0.023; P for non-linearity = 0.025) starting from 14.8 drinks per week. Women's alcohol intake dose <16.9 drinks per week showed a significant non-linear association with decreased AD risk (overall P = 0.002; P for non-linearity = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Drinking alcohol could reduce the risk of AD. Alcohol dose had a non-linear, but non-significant, relationship with the development of AD. The amount of alcohol consumption showed significant sex-specific effects on AD. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 278-285.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Increasingly populations are both overweight/obese and consume alcohol. The risk of liver disease from the combination of these factors is unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to address this important gap in evidence. Protocol registered with PROSPERO(CRD42016046508). METHODS: We performed electronic searches of Ovid Medline, Embase Classic + Embase, until 17th June 2020 for cohort studies of adults without pre-existing liver disease. Primary outcome was morbidity/mortality from chronic liver disease. Exposures were alcohol consumption categorised as within or above UK recommended limits (14 units/112 g per week) and BMI categorised as normal, overweight or obese. Non-drinkers were excluded. A Poisson regression log-linear model was used to test for statistical interaction between alcohol and BMI and to conduct a one-stage meta-analysis. RESULTS: Searches identified 3129 studies-16 were eligible. Of these, nine cohorts (1,121,514 participants) had data available and were included in the analysis. The Poisson model showed no significant statistical interaction between alcohol consumption and BMI on the risk of chronic liver disease. Compared to normal weight participants drinking alcohol within UK recommended limits, relative risk of chronic liver disease in overweight participants drinking above limits was 3.32 (95% CI 2.88 to 3.83) and relative risk in obese participants drinking above limits was 5.39 (95% CI 4.62 to 6.29). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis demonstrated a significantly increased risk of chronic liver disease in participants who were both overweight/obese and consumed alcohol above UK recommended limits. This evidence should inform advice given to patients and risk stratification by healthcare professionals.
OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have reported inconsistent results on the relationship between alcohol intake and the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to illustrate the potential role of alcohol intake on the progression of SLE. METHODS: An electronic search of the PubMed, EmBase, and the Cochrane library databases was conducted from their inception up to March 2020. Observational studies that investigated the role of alcohol intake on the risk of SLE were eligible for inclusion in this study. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated as an effect estimate using the random-effects model. RESULTS: Seven case-control studies (n = 3, 251) and three cohort studies (n = 322, 479) were selected for the final meta-analysis. Mild (OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.53-1.38; p = 0.515) or heavy (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.37-1.09; p = 0.102) alcohol intake were not associated with the risk of SLE, while moderate alcohol intake could protect against the risk of SLE (OR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.55-0.93; p = 0.012). Sensitivity analysis suggested that heavy alcohol intake was associated with a reduced risk of SLE (OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.32-0.67; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study found that moderate alcohol intake could protect against the risk of SLE, while mild or heavy alcohol intake did not significantly affect the risk of SLE.