Background: Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality, but binge drinking is thought to be detrimental. We examined effects of heavy and binge drinking in a population with high rates of binge drinking.
Methods: We did a prospective cohort study in Novosibirsk, Russia, in 6502 men aged 25-64 years at baseline who were examined in WHO MONICA (monitoring trends and determinants in cardiovascular disease surveys) in 1985/86, 1988/89, and 1994/95, and in a pilot study in 1984. We assessed alcohol intake and drinking pattern by questionnaire; binge drinking was defined as consumption of 160 g or greater of pure alcohol on a typical occasion. Participants were followed-up for a median of 9.5 years (range 3.1-15.2).
Findings: There were 836 deaths in the cohort, 395 of which resulted from cardiovascular diseases. Prevalence of binge drinking at baseline was 16% (n=1005). Adjusted relative risks for binge drinking at least once a month (compared with consumption of <80 g pure alcohol) were 1.05 (95% CI 0.80-1.36) for deaths from all causes, 0.99 (0.66-1.50) for deaths from cardiovascular disease, 1.27 (0.81-1.99) for deaths from coronary heart disease, and 2.08 (1.08-3.99) for death from external causes. Risk of total and cardiovascular mortality was raised in a small group of frequent heavy drinkers (5% [264] of all drinkers); for this group, adjusted relative risks were 1.61 (1.04-2.50) for total mortality and 2.05 (1.09-3.86) for deaths from cardiovascular disease.
Interpretation: The risk of death from cardiovascular disease seems to be increased in frequent heavy drinkers, but is not necessarily associated with episodic binge drinking.