(Circulation. 1999;100:944-950.)
© 1999 American Heart Association, Inc.
Clinical Investigation and Reports |
Moderate Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death Among US Male Physicians
From the Division of Preventive Medicine (C.M.A., J.E.M., N.R.C, U.A.A., J.M.G., C.H.H) and Cardiovascular Medicine (J.M.G.), Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital; the Cardiac Unit (C.M.A.), Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital; and the Departments of Ambulatory Care and Prevention (C.H.H., N.R.C) and Epidemiology (C.H.H, J.E.M.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Background—Individuals who consume high amounts of alcohol (>5 drinks/d) have increased risks of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, the relationship is less clear for drinkers of light-to-moderate amounts.
Methods and Results—We prospectively assessed whether
light-to-moderate alcohol drinkers have a decreased risk of SCD among
21 537 male participants in the Physicians Health Study who were free
of self-reported cardiovascular disease and provided
complete information on alcohol intake at study entry. Over 12 years of
follow-up, 141 SCDs were confirmed. After control for multiple
confounders, men who consumed 2 to 4 drinks/wk (RR=0.40; 95% CI, 0.22
to 0.75; P=0.004) or 5 to 6 drinks/wk (RR=0.21; 95% CI,
0.08 to 0.56; P=0.002) at baseline had significantly
reduced risks of SCD compared with those who rarely or never consumed
alcohol. The relationship for SCD was U-shaped
(P=0.002), with the risk approaching unity at 
2
drinks/d. In contrast, the relationship of alcohol intake and nonsudden
CHD death was L-shaped or linear (P for trend=0.02).
Conclusions—In these prospective data, men who consumed light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol (2 to 6 drinks/wk) had a significantly reduced risk of SCD compared with those who rarely or never consumed alcohol.
Key Words: alcohol • death, sudden • arrhythmia • coronary disease • epidemiology
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