Abstainers and heavy drinkers have a higher mortality risk than moderate drinkers.
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To study a link between drinking habits and mortality risk, researchers followed 1,824 British older adult, aged 55 65 years, who were divided into four groups - light, moderate and heavy drinkers and abstainers for 20 years. The participants were asked about daily alcohol consumption, problem drinking, and other questions about their health and social behaviour.
It was found that mortality was highest among abstainers and heavy drinkers and lowest in moderate drinkers after making allowances for age and gender. People who didn't drink and those who drank heavily still had higher mortality risks of 49 percent and 42 percent, respectively as compared with moderate drinkers.
Mortality benefit was found to be reduced among moderate drinkers compared to abstainers after considering former problem drinking, existing health problems, and key sociodemographic and social-behavioral factors. People who drink moderately tend to have a higher social status, exercise more, suffer less depression and enjoy superior health overall compared to heavy drinkers and lifetime abstainers.
The study suggests that abstainers and heavy drinkers have a higher risk of dying as compared to moderate drinkers.
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