scholarly journals Are there non-linear relationships between alcohol consumption and long-term health?: A systematic review of observational studies employing approaches to improve causal inference

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Visontay ◽  
Matthew Sunderland ◽  
Tim Slade ◽  
Jack Wilson ◽  
Louise Mewton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Causal Inference ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Consumption Pattern ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Linear Relationships ◽  
Hiv Seroconversion

Research has long found ‘J-shaped’ relationships between alcohol consumption and certain health outcomes, indicating a protective effect of moderate consumption. However, methodological limitations in most studies hinder causal inference. This review aimed to identify all observational studies employing improved approaches to mitigate confounding in characterizing alcohol–long-term health relationships, and to qualitatively synthesize their findings (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020185861). Eligible studies met the above description, were longitudinal (with pre-defined exceptions), discretized alcohol consumption, and were conducted with human populations. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and SCOPUS were searched in May 2020, yielding 16 published manuscripts reporting on cancer, diabetes, dementia, mental health, cardiovascular health, mortality, HIV seroconversion, and musculoskeletal health. Risk of bias of cohort studies was evaluated using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale, and a recently developed tool was used for Mendelian Randomization studies. A variety of functional forms were found, including reverse J/J-shaped relationships for prostate cancer and related mortality, dementia risk, mental health, and certain lipids. However, most outcomes were only evaluated by a single study, and few studies provided information on the role of alcohol consumption pattern. More research employing enhanced causal inference methods is urgently required to accurately characterize alcohol–long term health relationships.

scholarly journals Are there non-linear relationships between alcohol consumption and long-term health?: a systematic review of observational studies employing approaches to improve causal inference

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Visontay ◽  
Matthew Sunderland ◽  
Tim Slade ◽  
Jack Wilson ◽  
Louise Mewton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Causal Inference ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Consumption Pattern ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Functional Forms

Abstract Background Research has long found ‘J-shaped’ relationships between alcohol consumption and certain health outcomes, indicating a protective effect of moderate consumption. However, methodological limitations in most studies hinder causal inference. This review aimed to identify all observational studies employing improved approaches to mitigate confounding in characterizing alcohol–long-term health relationships, and to qualitatively synthesize their findings. Methods Eligible studies met the above description, were longitudinal (with pre-defined exceptions), discretized alcohol consumption, and were conducted with human populations. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and SCOPUS were searched in May 2020, yielding 16 published manuscripts reporting on cancer, diabetes, dementia, mental health, cardiovascular health, mortality, HIV seroconversion, and musculoskeletal health. Risk of bias of cohort studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and a recently developed tool was used for Mendelian Randomization studies. Results A variety of functional forms were found, including reverse J/J-shaped relationships for prostate cancer and related mortality, dementia risk, mental health, and certain lipids. However, most outcomes were only evaluated by a single study, and few studies provided information on the role of alcohol consumption pattern. Conclusions More research employing enhanced causal inference methods is urgently required to accurately characterize alcohol–long-term health relationships. Those studies that have been conducted find a variety of linear and non-linear functional forms, with results tending to be discrepant even within specific health outcomes. Trial registration PROSPERO registration number CRD42020185861.

scholarly journals 1168Are there non-linear alcohol–health relationships?: Review of observational studies employing enhanced causal methods

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Visontay ◽  
Matthew Sunderland ◽  
Tim Slade ◽  
Jack Wilson ◽  
Louise Mewton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Causal Inference ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Consumption Pattern ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Functional Forms

Abstract Focus of Presentation Research has long found ‘J-shaped’ relationships between alcohol consumption and certain health outcomes, indicating a protective effect of moderate consumption. However, methodological limitations in most studies hinder causal inference. While enhanced methods for data analysis (e.g. G-methods) and alternative observational designs (e.g. Mendelian Randomisation) have been developed, they are not commonly applied to alcohol–health research. This presentation will report on a systematic review of observational studies that employ improved approaches to mitigate confounding in characterising alcohol–long-term health relationships (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020185861). Findings MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and SCOPUS were searched in May 2020, yielding 16 published manuscripts reporting on cancer, diabetes, dementia, mental health, cardiovascular health, mortality, HIV seroconversion, and musculoskeletal health. Study findings were qualitatively synthesised. A variety of functional forms were found, including reverse J/J-shaped relationships for prostate cancer and related mortality, dementia risk, mental health, and certain lipids. However, most outcomes were only evaluated by a single study, and few studies provided information on the role of alcohol consumption pattern. Conclusions/Implications More research employing enhanced causal inference methods is urgently required to accurately characterise alcohol–long-term health relationships. Those studies that have been conducted find a variety of linear and non-linear functional forms, with results tending to be discrepant even within specific health outcomes. Key messages A systematic review found that those studies of alcohol–long-term health relationships employing enhanced causal methods are too few and inconsistent to establish whether non-linear alcohol–health relationships exist.

scholarly journals Are there non-linear relationships between alcohol consumption and long-term health? Protocol for a systematic review of observational studies employing approaches to improve causal inference

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e043985
Author(s):  
Rachel Visontay ◽  
Matthew Sunderland ◽  
Tim Slade ◽  
Jack Wilson ◽  
Louise Mewton
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Causal Inference ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
The Relationship

IntroductionThere is a substantial literature finding that moderate alcohol consumption is protective against certain health conditions. However, more recent research has highlighted the possibility that these findings are methodological artefacts, caused by confounding and other biases. While modern analytical and study design approaches can mitigate confounding and thus enhance causal inference in observational studies, they are not routinely applied in research assessing the relationship between alcohol use and long-term health outcomes. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify observational studies that employ these analytical/design-based approaches in assessing whether relationships between alcohol consumption and health outcomes are non-linear. This review seeks to evaluate, on a per-outcome basis, what these studies find the strength and form of the relationship between alcohol consumption and health to be.Methods and analysisElectronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and SCOPUS) were searched in May 2020. Study selection will comply with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Articles will be screened against eligibility criteria intended to capture studies using observational data to assess the relationship between varying levels of alcohol exposure and any long-term health outcome (actual or surrogate), and that have employed at least one of the prespecified approaches to enhancing causal inference. Risk of bias of included articles will be assessed using study design-specific tools. A narrative synthesis of the results is planned.Ethics and disseminationFormal ethics approval is not required given there will be no primary data collection. The results of the study will be disseminated through published manuscripts, conferences and seminar presentations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020185861.

scholarly journals Are there non-linear relationships between alcohol consumption and long-term health?: Protocol for a systematic review of observational studies employing approaches to improve causal inference

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Visontay ◽  
Matthew Sunderland ◽  
Tim Slade ◽  
Jack Wilson ◽  
Louise Mewton
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Causal Inference ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
The Relationship

Introduction: There is a substantial literature finding that moderate alcohol consumption is protective against certain health conditions. However, more recent research has highlighted the possibility that these findings are methodological artefacts, caused by confounding and other biases. While modern analytical and study design approaches can enhance causal inference in observational studies, they are not routinely applied in research assessing the relationship between alcohol use and long-term health outcomes. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify observational studies that employ these analytical/design-based approaches in assessing whether relationships between alcohol consumption and health outcomes are non-linear. This review seeks to evaluate, on a per-outcome basis, what these studies find the strength and form of the relationship between alcohol consumption and health to be.Methods and analysis: Electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase and SCOPUS) were searched in May 2020. Study selection will comply with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Articles will be screened against eligibility criteria intended to capture studies using observational data to assess the relationship between varying levels of alcohol exposure and any long-term health outcome (actual or surrogate), and that have employed at least one of the pre-specified approaches to enhancing causal inference. Risk of bias of included articles will be assessed using study design-specific tools. A narrative synthesis of the results is planned.

Abstract P420: Alcohol Consumption and Longitudinal Changes in Magnetic Resonance Imaging-defined Brain Abnormalities: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simona Costanzo ◽  
Traci M Bartz ◽  
Giovanni de Gaetano ◽  
Augusto F Di Castelnuovo ◽  
Licia Iacoviello ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Brain Atrophy ◽  
Alcohol Intake ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Cardiovascular Health Study ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Total Brain

Introduction: Alcohol intake has been related with a complex group of associations with brain structure in cross-sectional analyses, but to our knowledge, its prospective relationship with structural brain abnormalities detected by MRI has never been reported. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that consumers of 1-<7 drinks/week would have slower progression of leukoaraiosis (white matter abnormalities) but more rapid progression of brain atrophy than longer-term abstainers. Methods: As part of the Cardiovascular Health Study, 1 996 adults aged ≥65 years underwent MRI scanning in 1991-94 and again in 1997-99, having excluded 120 participants with a history of cerebrovascular disease before the initial scan. Alcohol consumption was assessed at each annual visit by self-reported intake of wine, beer and liquor. A 10-point white matter grade (WMG) and ventricular grade (VG) were assessed in a standardized and blinded manner in both scans; hippocampal and total brain volumes were also quantified on the second scan. We estimated the associations of alcohol intake in categories (as reported closest to the date of initial scan), with MRI findings at follow-up with multinomial ordered logistic regression (WMG ≤ 3 ref and ≥ 4; VG ≤ 3 ref , =4 and ≥5) using inverse probability weighting to account for attrition. Results: We observed a U-shaped association with WMG, with significantly lower risk among participants consuming 1-<7 drinks/week (OR 0.38; 95% CI 0.17-0.82, table) than long-term abstainers (P quadtrend = 0.01). For VG, the association was inverse (P trend = 0.06), with significantly less progression among drinkers of 1-<7 drinks/week than long-term abstainers (OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.40-0.97). We identified no significant associations of alcohol intake with quantitative mean hippocampal or total brain volumes at the second scan. Conclusions: Compared with long-term abstention, consumption of 1-<7 drinks/week of alcohol was generally associated with less progression of leukoaraiosis and some measures of brain atrophy in older adults.

scholarly journals Alcohol use and depression from middle age to the oldest old: gender is more important than age

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1275-1283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Tait ◽  
Davina J. French ◽  
Richard Burns ◽  
Kaarin J. Anstey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTBackground: Alcohol use disorders are associated with other mental health disorders in young adults, but there are few data on alcohol use and mental health outcomes in older adults, particularly the oldest old. This study examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and depressive symptoms.Methods: Data were collected from the Dynamic Analyses to Optimise Ageing (DYNOPTA) project, which has pooled nine Australian longitudinal studies. Alcohol consumption was classified using standard drinks (10 g alcohol)/day as: abstinent, low risk (<0–≤2 standard drinks), long-term risk (>2–≤4) and short-term risk (>4). Probable depression was classified from harmonized scores on various standard instruments (e.g. Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale).Results: Overall, 39,104 (86%) participants contributed data. Alcohol classification at baseline showed 7,526 abstinent, 28,112 low risk, 2,271 long-term risk, and 1,195 short-term risk participants. Age ranged from 45 to 103 year (median 60). Using generalized estimating equations (GEE), there were significant gender by alcohol and gender by age interactions, so the analysis was split by gender. Among males, the abstinent and short-term risk groups had increased likelihood of depression: in females the abstinent, long- and short-term risk groups had increased odds of depression. Increased odds of depression was also associated with former and current smoking, younger age-group, not being partnered, leaving school before age 15 and increasing levels of health-impaired walking, dressing, or bathing.Conclusion: The impact of alcohol use differs by gender, nevertheless those using higher levels of alcohol or who smoke should be screened for depression and may benefit from interventions.

Therapy and prevention for mental health: What if mental diseases are mostly not brain disorders?

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. A. Ioannidis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disease ◽  
Brain Disorders ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Labor Education ◽  
Mental Diseases ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Political Decisions

AbstractNeurobiology-based interventions for mental diseases and searches for useful biomarkers of treatment response have largely failed. Clinical trials should assess interventions related to environmental and social stressors, with long-term follow-up; social rather than biological endpoints; personalized outcomes; and suitable cluster, adaptive, and n-of-1 designs. Labor, education, financial, and other social/political decisions should be evaluated for their impacts on mental disease.

Physical and Psychological Benefits of Written Emotional Expression

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 242-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éva Kállay
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Expressive Writing ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Cost Effective Treatment ◽  
Meta Analyses

Abstract. The last several decades have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of individuals suffering from both diagnosable and subsyndromal mental health problems. Consequently, the development of cost-effective treatment methods, accessible to large populations suffering from different forms of mental health problems, became imperative. A very promising intervention is the method of expressive writing (EW), which may be used in both clinically diagnosable cases and subthreshold symptomatology. This method, in which people express their feelings and thoughts related to stressful situations in writing, has been found to improve participants’ long-term psychological, physiological, behavioral, and social functioning. Based on a thorough analysis and synthesis of the published literature (also including most recent meta-analyses), the present paper presents the expressive writing method, its short- and long-term, intra-and interpersonal effects, different situations and conditions in which it has been proven to be effective, the most important mechanisms implied in the process of recovery, advantages, disadvantages, and possible pitfalls of the method, as well as variants of the original technique and future research directions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document