Estudios científicos
Alcohol use and mortality in older men and women
Abstract:
ABSTRACT Aims To compare the effect of alcohol intake on 10-year mortality for men and women over the age of 65 years. Design, setting and participants Two prospective cohorts of community-dwelling men aged 65-79 years at baseline in 1996 (n = 11 727) and women aged 70-75 years in 1996 (n = 12 432). Measurements Alcohol was assessed according to frequency of use (number of days alcohol was consumed per week) and quantity consumed per day. Cox proportional hazards models were compared for men and women for all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Findings Compared with older adults who did not consume alcohol every week, the risk of all-cause mortality was reduced in men reporting up to four standard drinks per day and in women who consumed one or two drinks per day. One or two alcohol-free days per week reduced this risk further in men, but not in women. Similar results were observed for deaths due to cardiovascular disease. Conclusions In people over the age of 65 years, alcohol intake of four standard drinks per day for men and two standard drinks per day for women was associated with lower mortality risk. For men, the risk was reduced further if accompanied with 1 or 2 alcohol-free days per week.
Comentarios divulgativos:
Se llevó a cabo un estudio prospectivo para examinar si el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas influye en la mortalidad de los hombres y mujeres de avanzada edad: 65 años. 11.727 hombres (de entre 65-79 años al inicio del estudio) y 12.432 mujeres (de edades comprendidas entre los 70-75 años) fueron seguidos durante 10 años evaluando su frecuencia en la ingesta y la cantidad de bebidas alcohólicas que consumen por día.
Los resultados mostraron que en comparación con los adultos de avanzada edad que no consumen alcohol, el riesgo de mortalidad por cualquier causa se redujo en los hombres del presente informe que aumentaron su consumo hasta cuatro bebidas estándar por día. En las mujeres, el riesgo se reduce si se consume una o dos bebidas por día. Uno o dos días por semana libres de alcohol redujeron el riesgo aún más en los hombres, pero no en mujeres. Resultados similares se observaron en las muertes debidas a enfermedades cardiovasculares
A prospective study was carried out to examine whether the consumption of alcoholic beverages influences the mortality of men and women over the age of 65 years.11,727 men (aged 65-79 years at baseline) and 12,432 women (aged 70-75 years) were followed up for 10 years and the frequency of intake and quantity of alcoholic beverages consumed per day were assessed.
The results showed that compared to older adults who did not consume alcoholic beverages every week, the risk of all-cause mortality was reduced in men reporting up to four standard drinks per day. In women, the risk was reduced if they consumed one or two drinks per day. One or two alcohol-free days per week lowered the risk in men even further, but not in women. Similar results were observed for deaths due to cardiovascular disease.
