Alcohol use and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among Connecticut women (United States)

Objective: Incidence rates of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) have risen dramatically over the past several decades; however, the etiology of NHL remains largely unknown. Previous studies of the relationship between alcohol consumption and NHL have yielded conflicting results. Data from a population-based case–control study among women in Connecticut were analyzed to determine the potential impact of alcohol consumption on risk of NHL. Methods: The study included 601 histologically confirmed, incident cases of NHL and 718 population-based controls. In-person interviews were administered using standardized, structured questionnaires to collect data on history of consumption for beer, wine, and liquor. Results: When compared to non-drinkers, women who reported consumption of at least 12 drinks per year of any type of alcohol experienced slightly reduced risk of NHL (OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.65–1.04). Further stratification by alcohol type revealed that the inverse association was mainly limited to wine consumption (OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.59–0.96), with no clear association for beer or liquor consumption. Risk of NHL was further reduced with increasing duration of wine consumption (p for linear trend = 0.02). Consumption of wine for greater than 40 years was associated with approximately 40% reduction in risk (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.44–0.91). Conclusion: Our results are consistent with several recent epidemiologic studies that have also suggested an inverse association between wine consumption and risk of NHL. The reduction in risk of NHL associated with increased duration of wine consumption warrants further investigation in other populations.