Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28499102›Full record

SynthesisJournal of studies on alcohol and drugs2017

Alcohol Consumption and Mortality From Coronary Heart Disease: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies.

Jinhui Zhao, Tim Stockwell, Audra Roemer, Timothy Naimi, Tanya Chikritzhs

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 94 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
94citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

94 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  6. Exposure to Digital Alcohol Marketing and Alcohol Use: A Systematic Review.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs. Supplement · 2020
    Pooled it
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  13. Lifestyle factors and cardiometabolic risk.Chinese medical journal · 2026
    Review
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  15. NCI-Designated Cancer Centers' Policies and Practices with regard to Alcohol and Cancer: A Call to Lead.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2026
    Article
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  20. Review

34 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jinhui ZhaoCentre for Addictions Research of BC, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Tim StockwellCentre for Addictions Research of BC, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Audra RoemerCentre for Addictions Research of BC, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Timothy NaimiBoston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Tanya ChikritzhsNational Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivePrevious meta-analyses estimate that low-volume alcohol consumption protects against coronary heart disease (CHD). Potential errors in studies include systematic misclassification of drinkers as abstainers, inadequate measurement, and selection bias across the life course.

methodProspective studies of alcohol consumption and CHD mortality were identified in scholarly databases and reference lists. Studies were coded for potential abstainer biases and other study characteristics. The alcohol-CHD risk relationship was estimated in mixed models with controls for potential biases. Stratified analyses were performed based on variables identified as potential effect modifiers.

resultsFully adjusted meta-analysis of all 45 studies found significantly reduced CHD mortality for current low-volume drinkers (relative risk [RR] = 0.80, 95% CI [0.69, 0.93]) and all current drinkers (RR = 0.88, 95% CI [0.78, 0.99]). There was evidence of effect modification by cohort age, gender, ethnicity, and heart health at baseline. In stratified analyses, low-volume consumption was not significantly protective for cohorts ages 55 years or younger at baseline (RR = 0.95, 95% CI [0.75, 1.21]), for studies controlling for heart health (RR = 0.87, 95% CI [0.71, 1.06]), or for higher quality studies (RR = 0.86, 95% CI [0.68, 1.09]). In studies in which the mean age was 55 years or younger at baseline, there were significantly increased RRs for both former (RR = 1.45, 95% CI [1.08, 1.95]) and occasional drinkers (RR = 1.44, 95% CI [1.09, 1.89]) compared with abstainers.

conclusionsPooled analysis of all identified studies suggested an association between alcohol use and reduced CHD risk. However, this association was not observed in studies of those age 55 years or younger at baseline, in higher quality studies, or in studies that controlled for heart health. The appearance of cardio-protection among older people may reflect systematic selection biases that accumulate over the life course.

Indexed as

BiasAlcohol DrinkingCohort StudiesCoronary DiseaseFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRisk

Identifiers

PMID28499102
PMCPMC5440363

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.