just-drinks authors and correspondents

Columns by International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research

Critiques from the International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research

The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research hosts forums that look at research conducted around the world on the relationship between alcohol consumption and health.

Articles by International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research

Why moderate drinking affects elderly consumers less than no drinking - International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research Critique 203 8 August 2017

Falls are common among the elderly, and markedly increase the subsequent risk of morbidity and mortality. A recent study examined the association between certain patterns of alcohol consumption, including the Mediterranean drinking pattern (MDP), and the risk of falls in more than 2,000 elderly subjects over 3.3 years. At the end of follow up, 21.4% of subjects reported at least one fall in the previous year.

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How important is folate intake for reducing breast cancer risk from alcohol consumption? - International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research Critique 202 18 July 2017

The strongest factor associated with the risk of a woman developing breast cancer appears to be a positive family history of such a diagnosis in a sibling or mother. Among environmental factors, almost all studies have shown that alcohol consumption relates to increased risk; a slight increase is often seen even among women who report only light drinking - an average of less than one drink per day, for example.

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What effect - if any - does lifestyle have on mortality? - International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research Critique 201 27 June 2017

A recent study set out to examine differences in the risk of mortality and in survival associated with a healthy lifestyle versus a less healthy lifestyle.

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Does light drinking increase the risk of cancer? - International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research Critique 200 12 June 2017

The association between the consumption of alcohol and the risk of cancer has been of great interest for many decades. There are a number of types of cancer, especially those of the upper aero-digestive tract (such as mouth, tongue, pharynx, etc.) that are clearly increased among heavy drinkers, especially among subjects who are also heavy smokers.

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Does socio-economic status increase risks from alcohol consumption? - International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research Critique 199 30 May 2017

The positive and negative health effects of alcohol consumption are modified by the socio-economic status (SES) of individuals. Truly moderate drinkers who are from higher SES strata have better health outcomes and fewer adverse effects from alcohol than lower-SES subjects supposedly consuming similar amounts.

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How does alcohol affect the likelihood of cardiovascular disease? - International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research Critique 198 25 April 2017

Members of the ISFAR recently considered an important critique of nearly 2m people, which confirmed the J-shaped association of moderate alcohol consumption with significantly less heart disease than among both non-drinkers and heavy drinkers.

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Does alcohol accelerate the onset of dementia? - International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research Critique 197 24 April 2017

A number of epidemiologic studies have found that light-to-moderate alcohol intake is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia and/or cognitive decline, while excessive drinking may increase the risk.

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The strong links between binge drinking and cardiovascular disease - International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research Critique 196 6 February 2017

The ISFAR recently considered a review paper on the effects of binge drinking on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), noting that it provides considerable information on a topic of importance to public health.

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How much of alcohol's "health benefits" relate to a consumer's socio-economic status? - International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research Critique 195 19 December 2016

It has long been recognised from epidemiologic studies that both the positive and negative health effects of alcohol consumption are modified by an individual's socio-economic status (SES). Higher SES subjects (higher education, income, job status, etc.) are more likely to be regular moderate drinkers, while lower SES subjects are more likely to binge drink and under-report their alcohol intake.

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What is the effect of long-term alcohol use on mortality among women? - International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research Critique 194 23 November 2016

In a follow-up analysis of almost 50,000 young women, aged 30 to 49 at baseline, in the Swedish Women’s Lifestyle and Health cohort, researchers used self-reported information on alcohol consumption on two occasions, 12 years apart, to estimate the effects of alcohol on overall and cause-specific mortality.