More than 2 pegs is harmful

Friday 3rd July 2009 HCFI: The more alcohol men drink, the more time they will spend in a hospital, said Dr KK Aggarwal President, Heart Care Foundation of India and Director, IMA AKN Sinha Institute.

A 28 years follow up UK study involved nearly 6,000 men in Scotland ages 35 to 64, began during the early 1970s. In the study men were placed in different groups depending on alcohol intake: no alcohol, 1 to 7 units a week, 8 to 14 units a week, 15 to 21 units a week, 22 to 34 units a week and 35 or more units a week or more. A unit of alcohol was half a pint of beer (about a cup) or a 4-ounce glass of wine.
The study, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, showed

• Men who drank more than 22 units of alcohol a week had a 20 percent higher hospital admission rate than non-drinkers.
• Even relatively low levels of alcohol consumption was associated with a higher number of days spent in the hospital.  Drinkers of eight or more units of alcohol a week were hospitalized more days than non-drinkers, and the length of stay increased as weekly consumption of alcohol went up.
• The heaviest drinkers spent 58 percent longer in a hospital than non-drinkers.
• Weekly consumption of 15 units of alcohol was associated with an increased number of hospital admissions for stroke, and the number progressively increased with greater levels of alcohol consumption.
• Men who drank 22 or more units a week had more hospital admissions for respiratory illness but had the lowest admission rates for coronary heart disease. Non-drinkers had the highest rates of admission for coronary heart disease.