Elsevier

Maturitas

Volume 62, Issue 3, 20 March 2009, Pages 294-300
Maturitas

Regular alcohol consumption is associated with increasing quality of life and mood in older men and women: The Rancho Bernardo Study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2009.01.005Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

This study examines the sex-specific association between alcohol intake and health-related quality of life in middle class community-dwelling older adults.

Methods

Information on alcohol intake and measures of quality of life were obtained from 1594 participants (n = 633 men, n = 961 women) aged 50–97 years during a research clinic visit in 1992–1996, and from their responses to a phone interview and mailed questionnaires. Quality of life measures included the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 (SF-36), Quality of Well-Being (QWB) Scale, Life Satisfaction Index-Z (LSI-Z), and Satisfaction with Life Survey (SWLS). Depressed mood was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Men and women were stratified into four groups of reported alcohol intake: non-drinker, occasional drinker (alcohol <3 times/week), light regular drinker (alcohol intake ≥3 times/week, but <170 g/week), and moderate regular drinker (alcohol intake ≥3 times/week and ≥170 g/week).

Results

Average age of both sexes was 72 ± 10 years. Only 11% of the men and 17% of the women were non-drinkers; 54% of men and 40% of women reported drinking alcohol ≥3 times per week; 18% of men and 7.5% of women were heavier regular drinkers. In multivariable regression analyses, increasing frequency of alcohol use was positively associated with better quality of life in men and in women. Associations were not explained by age, physical activity, smoking, depressed mood, or common chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Conclusions

Regular alcohol consumption is associated with increased quality of life in older men and women.

Introduction

Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, regardless of age [1], [2]. The first suggestion that moderate daily alcohol consumption was associated with better survival than abstention was reported almost a century ago, when Pearl [3] demonstrated a U-shaped mortality curve in relation to alcohol intake among men 65 years and older residing in the Baltimore area. At that time prohibition was on the public's mind, and Pearl's conclusion was controversial. A recent meta-analyses of 34 prospective cohort studies with more than 1 million subjects and almost 100,000 deaths from any cause showed similar findings, with a J-shaped association between self-reported alcohol consumption and mortality [4]. Moreover, the beneficial effects of light and moderate alcohol consumption for cardiovascular disease are supported by a large body of evidence, as summarized in a meta-analyses by Corrao et al. [2]. Positive effects of moderate drinking on cognitive function [5], dementia [6] and longevity [7], [8], [9] have also been reported.

In young adults, moderate alcohol intake has been associated with psychological and social well-being [9], [10], [11]. However, few studies have examined the association of regular alcohol intake with quality of life among US elderly, although 45% of a representative sample of United States adults aged 65–74 years report drinking alcohol [10]. Quality of life is dependent on multiple factors including health and physical well-being as well as lifestyle variables such as smoking habit, physical activity, and alcohol use. Few previous studies of alcohol intake and well-being have simultaneously taken these lifestyle variables, risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and comorbidities into account.

The purpose of the present study is to examine the independent association of reported current alcohol consumption with quality of life in older community-dwelling men and women.

Section snippets

Study population

Between 1972 and 1974, 82% of all adult residents in the southern California community of Rancho Bernardo were surveyed to determine the prevalence of heart disease risk factors. Participants were almost entirely Caucasian, middle- to upper-middle class and ambulatory. They have been followed to the present with periodic clinic visits and annual mailed questionnaires. Between 1992 and 1996, 82% (n = 1781) of surviving community dwelling participants aged 50 and older attended a follow-up research

Results

Participants were aged 50–97 years. As shown in Table 1, men and women were of similar average age (72 years, S.D. = 10). Reported alcohol consumption ranged from 0 to 667 g/week. Among drinkers, women reported a much lower average intake than men (means = 85.6 ± 100.8 in men and 49.4 ± 66.8 in women, p < 0.001). Alcohol intake three or more times/week was reported by 54% of men and 40% of women. Only 11% of men and 17% of women said they were non-drinkers. More than half (57.5%) reported drinking wine

Discussion

Most previous studies of alcohol consumption and quality of life focus on relatively heavy drinkers. This study of steady, but mostly moderate alcohol drinkers showed significant positive associations between the frequency and amount of alcohol intake and four of five quality of life measures, with similar patterns found in men and women. These observed associations were independent of age and lifestyle characteristics including exercise and cigarette smoking, as well as risk factors such as

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