Average, binge and maximum alcohol intake in healthy young men: discriminant function analysis

Blood samples and data on alcohol consumption, diet, exercise, smoking and drug use were collected from 89 undergraduate men affiliated with Greek houses. This population has previously been identified as one that consumed large amounts of alcohol among university undergraduates. Energy and nutrient intake from foods, exercise and drug use (except caffeine) were not different between those reporting consuming more than or less than 1 oz of alcohol per day. Multiple discriminant analysis using a panel of 35 blood tests correctly classified all subjects according to their self-reported intake of more than or less than 2 oz of alcohol per day; 96% were classified correctly at a cut point of 1.5 oz per day. Correct classification was 96-99% using a measure of binge consumption (quantity-frequency of heavy drinking). When maximum number of drinks per occasion was used in the discriminant function, 90-92% were correctly placed. Discriminant analysis based on a panel of common blood tests appears to be a promising technique to identify young drinkers who consume high amounts of alcohol.     

Apolipoprotein distribution in plasma HDL subfractions in alcohol consumers

Alcohol intake is known to increase plasma HDL subfractions and apo A levels. Few data are available, however, with regard to precise apoprotein composition of plasma lipoproteins in alcohol consumers. The aim of the present study was to examine the lipid and apoprotein distribution in plasma lipoproteins of subjects with different levels of alcohol intake. Thirty-six male regular drinkers were classified as social (n = 10, average daily consumption greater than or equal to 5 and less than or equal to 20 g), moderate (n = 11, average daily consumption greater than 20 g and less than 70 g) and heavy drinkers (n = 15, average daily consumption greater than or equal to 70 g). Reference data were obtained from 11 subjects, all lifelong abstainers. Lipoproteins were fractioned by sequential ultracentrifugation and apolipoprotein distribution in VLDL, HDL-2 and HDL-3 was determined by isoelectrofocusing in polyacrylamide-urea gel. HDL-2 cholesterol was significantly higher in heavy drinkers (P less than 0.005). A parallel trend for HDL-3 cholesterol was observed. In alcohol consumers HDL-2 particles were enriched in apos C, in particular apo C-II (P 0.005), displacing apo A-I. These data suggest that apolipoprotein distribution in the HDL-2 subfraction is influenced by alcohol intake even at the lowest level.     

Methods for estimating heterocyclic amine concentrations in cooked meats in the US diet.

Heterocyclic amines (HAs) are formed in numerous cooked foods commonly consumed in the diet. A method was developed to estimate dietary HA levels using HA concentrations in experimentally cooked meats reported in the literature and meat consumption data obtained from a national dietary survey. Cooking variables (meat internal temperature and weight loss, surface temperature and time) were used to develop relationships for estimating total HA concentrations in six meat types. Concentrations of five individual HAs were estimated for specific meat type/cooking method combinations based on linear regression of total and individual HA values obtained from the literature. Using these relationships, total and individual HA concentrations were estimated for 21 meat type/cooking method combinations at four meat doneness levels. Reported consumption of the 21 meat type/cooking method combinations was obtained from a national dietary survey and the age-specific daily HA intake calculated using the estimated HA concentrations (ng/g) and reported meat intakes. Estimated mean daily total HA intakes for children (to age 15 years) and adults (30+ years) were 11 and 7.0 ng/kg/day, respectively, with 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) estimated to comprise approximately 65% of each intake. Pan-fried meats were the largest source of HA in the diet and chicken the largest source of HAs among the different meat types.     

Five-year reliability of self-reported alcohol consumption

Reliability of alcohol consumption reported on a self-administered questionnaire was examined in 73 gynecologic outpatients. The questionnaire included quantity-frequency questions on current beverage-specific alcohol use (wine, beer and liquor). The questions were replicated 5 years later for both the earlier period and for current drinking patterns. Results indicated that, in general, original and retrospective data were highly correlated. Only recall of wine, the least frequently drunk beverage, was more highly correlated with current than with original consumption. Frequency of drinking was typically recalled better than quantity per occasion. Beverage-specific absolute alcohol per day (AA) was less reliable than total AA. Retrospective AA values accounted for 86% of the variability in original scores. The heaviest drinkers, however, tended to report disproportionately greater alcohol intake in retrospect. Thus, almost twice as many heavy drinkers were identified on the basis of their retrospective reports compared to those identified by their original reports. Results from this study suggest that considerable confidence can be placed in retrospective reports of total alcohol consumption by nonalcoholic women over a relatively long-term interval and that heavy drinking may be reported more accurately retrospectively than currently.     

Beyond black, white and Hispanic: race, ethnic origin and drinking patterns in the United States

This study used data on 42,862 U.S. adults, including 18,352 past-year drinkers, to describe differentials by race and national origin in U.S. drinking patterns. Age-sex standardized estimates were presented within 21 categories of ethnic origin for whites and within five categories each for individuals of black and other races. Of the three racial groups, whites were the most likely to drink, but blacks had the highest volume of intake and frequency of heavy drinking. Differences by ethnic origin within racial categories were as marked as differentials between races. Compared to whites of European origin, those of Hispanic and native American origin were less likely to drink but consumed more alcohol on days when they drank. Whites of Southern and Eastern European origin drank proportionately more wine and demonstrated more moderate drinking patterns (lower intake per drinking day and/or less frequent heavy drinking) than those of Northern or Central European origin. Hispanics of Caribbean origin were less prone to heavy drinking than other white Hispanics; similarly, blacks from the English-speaking Caribbean showed more moderate drinking patterns than other blacks. Individuals of Asian origin, in particular those of non-Japanese origin, had the most moderate drinking patterns within the category of other race. Although the black/white differentials in volume of intake and frequency of heavy drinking disappeared after adjusting for marital status, education and income, most of the differences by ethnic origin retained their statistical significance if not their original magnitudes. These findings indicate that cultural forces exert a strong effect on drinking behavior. Differences among European whites with respect to prevalence of drinking, beverage preference and frequency of heavy drinking suggest that the association between ethnic origin and drinking behavior may persist even after many generations of presumed acculturation.     

Arsenic levels in cooked food and assessment of adult dietary intake of arsenic in the Region Lagunera, Mexico.

The aim of this paper is to estimate the levels of arsenic (As) ingestion through cooked foods consumed in an arsenic endemic area and the assessment of their dietary intake of As. The study was conducted in two villages: a population chronically exposed to a high concentration of As via drinking water (410+/-35 microg/l) and to a low-exposure group (12+/-4 microg/l). A 24-h dietary recall questionnaire was applied to about 25 adult participants in each community. Samples of cooked food, ready for intake, were collected separately from each family's participants. To obtain the As estimate for each food item consumed, the mean quantity of food ingested in grams (wet weight) was calculated and the concentrations of total arsenic (TAs) in each cooked food were determined. The estimations of TAs intake were based on the sum over mean of As ingested from each food item consumed during the 24-h period for each participant. For the estimation of total daily As intake, we summed the mean obtained from food, plain water and hot beverage intakes. The TAs average intakes calculated for low-As-exposure group were 0.94 and 0.76 microg/kg body weight/day, for both summer and winter exposure scenarios, respectively. These values are 44.7 and 36% of the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) for inorganic arsenic (2.14 microg/kg body weight/day), established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1989. The WHO reference value was obtained on a weekly basis intake estimation assuming an average body weight of 68 kg in adults. In contrast, for the high-exposure group the TAs average intakes were 16.6 and 12.3 microg/kg body weight/day for summer and winter, respectively. Ingestion via cooked food represented 32.5 and 43.9% of the total daily As intake in the high-exposure group; for summer and winter, respectively. None the less, the bioavailability of As through food can be different than via drinking water.     

Effects of 0.4 g/kg alcohol on attentional bias and alcohol-seeking behaviour in heavy and moderate social drinkers

Alcohol intoxication is known to influence attentional biases for alcohol-related cues and alcohol-seeking behaviour. It is unknown if heavier drinkers are more or less sensitive to these effects of alcohol, or whether the effects of alcohol on attentional bias are associated with subsequent alcohol-seeking behaviour. In the present study, 55 social drinkers were administered either 0.4?g/kg alcohol or placebo in a repeated measures, double-blind experimental design. Participants completed a visual probe task with eye movement monitoring (to measure attentional bias) and a bogus taste test (to measure alcohol-seeking) in both alcohol and placebo sessions. Heavy drinkers showed an attentional bias for alcohol cues that was unaffected by alcohol, whereas in moderate drinkers attentional bias was present after alcohol administration, but was absent after placebo. All participants voluntarily consumed more beer during the taste test after administration of alcohol compared with placebo. The effects of alcohol on attentional bias were unrelated to the effects of alcohol on beer consumption. Results are consistent with the development of tolerance, rather than sensitization, to the acute effects of alcohol on attentional biases in heavy drinkers. However, alcohol-induced increases in attentional bias were not related to the effects of alcohol on the motivation to drink.     

Patterns of alcohol consumption and Helicobacter pylori infection: results of a population-based study from Germany among 6545 adults

BACKGROUND: Moderate alcohol consumption has been suggested to facilitate elimination of Helicobacter pylori infection. AIM: To investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and infection with H. pylori, with particular consideration of the role of age, different alcoholic beverages and specific drinking habits. METHODS: These issues were addressed in the German National Health Survey, conducted in a representative population sample between October 1997 and March 1999. Overall, 6545 subjects provided data on frequency and average amount of different alcoholic beverages consumed. H. pylori infection status was measured by serum immunoglobulin G antibodies. RESULTS: Seroprevalence of the infection was highest among subjects who reported drinking no alcohol (49.3%) and lowest among subjects consuming 25-50 g alcohol/day (35.2%, adjusted odds ratio = 0.60, 95% confidence interval: 0.48-0.75). This inverse association was consistently seen for different alcoholic beverages and in all age groups and it was particularly pronounced among women and among regular but moderate drinkers. There was also an inverse dose-response relationship between the frequency of alcohol consumption and H. pylori infection. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis supports suggestions that regular but moderate consumption of alcohol from various sources may facilitate elimination of H. pylori infection.     

Nature of questionnaire options affects estimates of alcohol intake

To estimate the degree of underreporting of alcohol consumption caused by questionnaire options for the frequency and quantity of drinking, two questionnaires (one oriented toward light alcohol consumption and the other toward heavy consumption) were administered to each of 86 patients (13 women) admitted for withdrawal treatment. The estimated mean daily alcohol intake was 137 g of absolute alcohol as measured by the "light" questionnaire and 302 g as measured by the "heavy" one. The Spearman correlation coefficient between individual mean intakes recorded by the two questionnaires was .58, indicating some influence on the rank ordering of drinkers. The intake estimate based on the heavy questionnaire correlated better with the number of drinks needed to overcome the subjective feelings of hangover than did the estimate based on the light questionnaire. A good deal of the underreporting commonly found in general population surveys might be related to the nature of questionnaire options. More detailed options for heavy intake might reveal previously unnoticed correlations between alcohol intake and various health hazards.     

Facial electromyographic (EMG) responses to emotionally significant visual images: differences between light and heavy drinkers.

Fifty participants took part in an experiment designed to investigate individual differences in the effects of alcohol on facial EMG responses to emotionally significant stimuli. Participants took part in two experimental sessions during which they viewed emotionally negative and emotionally positive visual images. In one session they consumed alcohol (0.5 g/kg bodyweight) whilst in the other they consumed soft drink. We classified each participant as a light or heavy drinker on the basis of their self-reported alcohol consumption. Negatively valenced images elicited increases in both frontalis and corrugator activity but alcohol did not moderate this effect either in light or heavy drinkers. Nevertheless, heavy drinkers did respond more strongly to the negatively valenced images and this supports the view that responses to negative emotional stimuli may play a part in the development of heavy drinking as a result of negative reinforcement processes.     

Alcohol consumption predicts hypertension but not diabetes

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the associations between alcohol consumption, Type 2 diabetes and hypertension in a native American population. METHOD: Data were collected in a population-based cross-sectional and prospective study conducted on 3,789 individuals aged > or = 20 years. Reported alcohol consumption was classified as never, occasional or < 1 a day, 1-2 drinks a day, > or = 3 drinks a day, and occasional heavy drinking. The prevalence and incidence of diabetes and hypertension by categories of alcohol intake were determined. RESULTS: About 68% of men and 39% of women reported some degree of alcohol consumption. There was no association between alcohol consumption and prevalence or incidence of diabetes, but a positive, statistically significant association between blood pressure and alcohol consumption was found in both genders. After adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI) and diabetes in a proportional hazards model in men, moderate drinkers (occasional or < 1 drink a day and 1-2 drinks a day combined) had 1.24 (95% confidence interval: 0.98-1.57) and occasional heavy drinkers had 1.49 (1.02-2.17) times the incidence of hypertension as nondrinkers. The corresponding estimates of hypertension incidence for women were 1.53 (1.29-1.83) for moderate drinking and 1.38 (0.81-2.36) for occasional heavy drinking. As only 1% of participants reported > or = 3 drinks a day, this group was excluded from these analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol consumption did not affect the development of Type 2 diabetes, but it was associated with increased risk of hypertension, and this effect was independent of diabetes or BMI in both genders.     

The personal characteristics and life-style of the young drinker: the results of a survey of British adolescents

It is argued that studying the drinking patterns of adolescents can add much to our understanding of alcohol use. The present paper hypothesises that heavy drinkers will be experiencing more stress than light, moderate or non-drinkers and that consequently, they will perceive themselves as doing worse in school and will report more conflict with their parents. It is predicted that heavy drinkers will have failed to learn norms controlling alcohol use. It is anticipated that social norms are learnt through controlled drinking in a family setting and thus it is predicted that heavy drinkers will be less likely to drink with their parents and more likely to drink with their peers, than other groups of drinkers. It is argued that heavy drinkers will be more involved in peer group activities and less concerned about their health, than light, moderate or non-drinkers. These hypotheses were tested in a survey of 10 579 British adolescents (5068 boys), and support was found for all but one of these hypothesis (i.e., the hypothesis that heavy drinkers would be less likely to drink with their parents than light or moderate drinkers).     

Association of paraoxonase-1 M55L genotype and alcohol consumption with coronary atherosclerosis: the Helsinki Sudden Death Study

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) level is inversely correlated with coronary heart disease risk. Paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is an HDL-associated anti-atherogenic enzyme. The activity of PON1 is affected by the methionine for leucine substitution at position 55 (M55L) and increased during regular moderate alcohol consumption, consistent with increased HDL cholesterol concentration. We related the PON1 M55L genotypes to the extent of atherosclerosis in left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in alcohol abstainers (0-1 g of alcohol/day), moderate consumers (1-36 g of alcohol/day) and drinkers (> 36 g of alcohol/day). The study subjects included an autopsy series of total of 700 middle-aged Finnish men from the Helsinki Sudden Death Study. The LAD was stained for fat and the areas covered with fatty streaks and fibrotic and complicated plaques were measured. Data on coronary artery disease risk factors were obtained from relatives or close friends of the deceased. Compared to the LL homozygotes, carriers of the M55 allele tended to have larger areas of atherosclerotic lesions, the size of which decreased dose-dependently by reported alcohol consumption. Moderate consumers carrying the M55 allele had significantly larger complicated plaques compared to the LL homozygotes drinking as much (P = 0.009). Among the M55 allele carriers, drinkers showed significantly smaller areas of fatty streaks compared to abstainers (P = 0.042) and moderate consumers (P < 0.001) (for the PON1 genotype by alcohol interaction, P = 0.078). Similarly, drinkers with the M55 allele also had statistically significantly smaller areas of complicated lesions than moderate consumers with the M55 allele (P < 0.0001) (for the PON1 genotype by alcohol interaction, P = 0.009). The areas of atherosclerotic lesions in LAD appear to be dependent on the amount of alcohol consumption, especially in men carrying the PON1 M55 allele.     

Acute treatment with trimethyltin alters alcohol self-selection

Male rats of the Long-Evans strain were divided into two equal groups of nine each and given either 7.0 mg/kg trimethyltin (TMT) or 0.9% saline by intragastric gavage. The pattern of self-selection of alcohol in concentrations of 3%–30% was examined in both groups at 21 and 150 days following the gavage. The TMT-treated rat consistently drank less alcohol that did the controls at every concentration of alcohol. This difference in alcohol intake was equally significant when the rats were tested in a foodcontigent, schedule-induced polydypsia situation. Further, although the TMT-lesioned animal consumed fewer calories per day in the form of alcohol, their overall daily caloric intakes were slightly higher than those of the controls. These results are interpreted as a consequence of damage to structures of the forebrain and as part of a syndrome of behavioral and neurological pathology.     

The U-shaped curve: various health measures and alcohol drinking patterns

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the well-known U-shaped relationship between average alcohol intake and mortality also holds for other health measures and for aspects of drinking other than weekly average alcohol intake, such as frequency of heavy-drinking episodes. METHOD: This study was carried out within the framework of a general population survey conducted in Eindhoven, The Netherlands (N = 18,973). Apart from mortality, the following health measures were considered: self-assessed health (based on perceived general health and the Nottingham Health Profile questionnaire), a list of chronic conditions and a list of health complaints. Respondents were categorized as abstainers, light (1-14 units/week), moderate (15-28 units/week) and excessive drinkers (> or =29 units/week). Information on the frequency with which heavy-drinking episodes occurred was also available. RESULTS: Light or moderate drinkers had not only lower mortality but other health burdens were lower than for either abstainers or heavier drinkers. Frequent heavy-drinking episodes were observed to be directly related to increased mortality rates, although not significantly. A trend was observed for drinkers reporting seldom heavy-drinking episodes (once or twice in the previous 6 months) to report less health burdens and to have lower mortality rates than those reporting no heavy drinking episodes. CONCLUSIONS: A U-shaped pattern was observed for mortality as well as for several other health measures. Frequent heavy-drinking episodes were related to an increased likelihood of mortality (not significant but suggesting a J-shaped pattern) and were not related to other health measures.     

Sex differences in stimulus expectancy and pharmacologic effects of a moderate dose of alcohol on smoking lapse risk in a laboratory analogue study

Rationale

Alcohol use is often implicated in initial lapses to smoking during quit smoking attempts. Mechanisms explaining this association are unknown but could include (a) learned associations between drinking and smoking or (b) direct pharmacologic effects of alcohol.

Objectives

In a 2 (told alcohol vs. told placebo)?×?2 (0.4?g/kg vs. 0.0?g/kg ethanol) between-subjects balanced placebo design, we examined instruction and beverage condition effects on smokers?? ability to resist initiating smoking and whether these effects differed by sex.

Methods

Participants were 96 heavy alcohol drinkers, smoking 10?C30 cigarettes per day. After 15?h of smoking abstinence, participants consumed either an alcoholic or a nonalcoholic beverage and 35?min later completed a smoking lapse task.

Results

Overall, neither instructions nor beverage contents influenced behavior on the smoking lapse task. However, the instruction condition had different effects in men and women. Women, but not men, were more likely to smoke and reported expecting greater satisfaction from smoking when they were told alcohol compared to told placebo. The effects of instruction condition on smoking behavior were not mediated by self-reported expected satisfaction from smoking.

Conclusions

Women may be more likely to choose to smoke after drinking moderate amounts of alcohol because of their expectations rather than the pharmacological effects of the alcohol.     

Estimation of the dietary intake of cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic by the population of Santiago (Chile) using a Total Diet Study.

Dietary intake of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) by the population of Santiago (Chile) was determined using a Total Diet Study in the market basket modality. After conducting a survey of the foods consumed in the last 24 h, the most consumed food products were included in the basket. Subsequently, they were cooked or prepared according to typical Chilean procedures and grouped into 17 food categories according to their chemical characteristics. The fish and shellfish group had the highest contents of As (1351 ng/g wet weight, ww), Cd (277 ng/g ww), and Hg (48 ng/g ww), while the sugar group had the highest content of Pb (251 ng/g ww). For a person with a body weight of 68 kg, the dietary intakes of As (77 microg/day), Cd (20 microg/day), Hg (5 microg/day), and Pb (206 microg/day) are lower than the provisional tolerable weekly intake values established by the FAO/WHO. Consequently, the total intakes of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in Santiago (Chile) are within the limits estimated as safe.     

The diet of Auckland men and women aged 25-64 years.

The dietary intake of a sample of 537 men and 372 women aged 25-64 years, randomly selected from the Auckland general electoral rolls, was assessed in order to describe current nutritional patterns in Auckland and to compare dietary intakes between men and women. A 118 item food frequency questionnaire was given to each participant to recall usual intake over the previous three months. After adjusting for energy intake, men consumed significantly more fat and cholesterol than women, consistent with their increased intake of red meat (median serves per month = 28 for men, 23 for women) and their greater tendency to eat fried meat (80.3% v 71.7%) and to drink full cream milk (82.7% v 70.7%). In contrast, women consumed more carbohydrate and fibre than men after adjusting for energy, consistent with their increased intake of vegetables (median serves per month = 136 for women, 116 for men) and fruit (median serves per month = 71 for women, 39 for men). These dietary differences between men and women may partly explain the increased coronary heart disease rates in men.     

Behavioural self-management with problem drinkers: One-year follow-up of a controlled drinking group treatment approach

The present study tested the effectiveness of a German behavioural self-control training (BSCT) for subgroups of drinkers differentiated by sex, ICD-10 diagnosis, and severity of dependence. Hazardous, harmful, and dependent drinkers were recruited through local mass media or referred by other treatment agencies. N?=?53 subjects (60% men, mean age 48.9 years, 76% employed, 64% alcohol dependent) participated in 10 weekly group treatment sessions and were assessed at intake, end of treatment, and 1-year follow-up (with 81% successfully contacted). Improvements made during BSCT remained stable over the 1-year follow-up period with 52% of subjects classified as improved (8% abstinent, 44% with a decline in alcohol consumption of at least 30%). In women, alcohol abusers and low dose drinkers (<800?g?ethanol/w), alcohol intake had declined less than in men, alcohol dependent subjects, and high dose drinkers (>800?g/w). This study, as others, indicates that alcohol dependence in itself is no contraindication for controlled drinking (CD) treatment.     

The association between alcohol use and long-term care placement among older Canadians: A 14-year population-based study

Studies have shown that moderate alcohol use confers protection against some of the dominant predictors of long-term care placement, including diminished cognitive functioning, physical disability, and injury. But little is known about the association between alcohol use and the likelihood of placement in long-term care facilities. A nationally representative sample of 5404 community-dwelling Canadians ages 50 years and older at baseline (1994/95) was obtained from the longitudinal National Population Health Survey. Alcohol use categories were developed based on the quantity and frequency of use in the 12 months before the interview. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the association between alcohol use at baseline and subsequent placement in long-term care facilities after adjusting for covariates measured at baseline. During the 14-year follow-up period, 14% of lifetime abstainers, 10% of former drinkers, 7% of infrequent drinkers, 4% of moderate drinkers, and 3% of heavy drinkers were placed in long-term care facilities. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis revealed that abstainers, former drinkers, and infrequent drinkers were more than twice as likely to be placed in long-term care as moderate drinkers. Moderate drinking was protective against placement in long-term care facilities even after adjusting for an array of well-known confounders. The strong protective effect of moderate alcohol use on long-term care entry is likely due to a complex mix of physical, cognitive and psychosocial health factors.