For women, quitting drinking may be linked to a significant
improvement in mental health, according to a study published online in the
Canadian Medical Association Journal.
The findings come from a comparison of two groups of people,
which together included more than 40,000 people. In both, women who never drank
alcohol reported the highest levels of mental well-being, but women who started
out as moderate drinkers and quit during the 4-year study period had the
greatest improvements in mental health, such that their well-being was close to
that of the abstainers.
Mental health also improved among men who quit drinking, but
the results were not statistically significant, say study authors Xiaoxin I.
Yao, PhD, of the School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine,
University of Hong Kong, and their colleagues.
The findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting
that moderate drinking may not improve health-related quality of life,
co-author Michael Y. Ni, MD, of the University of Hong Kong's School of Public
Health, said in a news release. "Instead, quitting drinking may be
associated with a more favorable change in mental well-being, approaching the
level of lifetime abstainers."
The researchers analyzed data from adults taking part in the
FAMILY Cohort study, which analyzes things that contribute to the well-being of
citizens in Hong Kong.
To account for cultural differences, the authors also
analyzed data from the U.S. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and
Related Conditions, which was designed to measure alcohol use disorders and
related diseases among adults in the United States.
For the study, the authors defined "moderate
drinkers" as women who had seven drinks or fewer per week. "People
who reported heavy drinking were excluded because the evidence for adverse
impacts of heavy drinking on health-related quality of life is well
established," they explain.
At the beginning, men and women who had never drunk alcohol
reported the highest levels of mental well-being, after adjusting for a wide
range of variables including sociodemographic characteristics, body mass index,
smoking status, self-reported physical health, and physical activity.
But at follow-up, improvement in mental health among women
who had quit drinking during the study period was greater than women who were
lifetime abstainers.
For people who stop drinking, the benefits may be similar to
those experienced by people who quit smoking, who ultimately have health
outcomes similar to those who have never smoked, the authors suggest.
(Medicine.net)
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