Study links binge drinking over 50 to 23% higher mortality risk

A Canadian study has linked binge drinking at age 50 and above to an increased mortality risk of 23% compared to the participants who did not binge drink in the year before. 

The study followed 129,000 adults aged 50 and above for up to 12 years and found an increased mortality risk with binge drinking frequency. This was after accounting for health status, mental health, and socioeconomic factors.

Published in Alcohol, it found that around 21% engaged in binge drinking less than once a month, and 10.8% one to three times per month. The biggest consumers, accounting for 8%, did it weekly or more. Most of the sample did not binge drink (60%). 

When the sociodemographic factors were accounted for, individuals who never engaged in binge drinking had a 34% lower mortality risk when compared to those who did it weekly or more. This was significant even when accounting for smokers, self-reported health, chronic illness, physical activity, and mental health.

“Much of the research on binge drinking has focused on younger populations,” says Andie MacNeil, Ph.D. student at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW), University of Toronto.

“Our findings show that binge drinking among adults aged 50 and older is not only prevalent, but also associated with a meaningful increase in mortality risk. Older adults need to be included in prevention and screening efforts.”

Underlying reasons

The researchers explain that participants’ prior health status often complicates alcohol research.

The non-binge drinkers had higher mortality rates when not taking alcohol consumption into account, which is often common in alcohol research. The researchers explain that this is because people with health issues often quit drinking, commonly referred to as the “sick quitter effect.”

“Our analysis demonstrates the importance of accounting for underlying health and socioeconomic factors when examining alcohol-related risk,” says co-author Yu Lung, a Ph.D. candidate at the FIFSW. “Once those factors are considered, the elevated risk associated with frequent binge drinking becomes clear.”

Participants’ prior health status often complicates alcohol research.The authors emphasize the need to study alcohol consumption later in life, as most research focuses on youth, such as injuries or drunk driving.

Esme Fuller-Thomson, professor at the FIFSW and director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging, University of Toronto, adds: “As Canada’s population ages, we must challenge the misconception that substance use in later life is less consequential.”

“Primary care providers and public health campaigns should ensure that older adults are not overlooked in conversations about binge drinking and its health impacts. Public health messaging tends to focus on college campuses, but our findings show we need to think about retirement communities too.”

The authors point out that, because the results are from a single-time study, long-term research is needed to further confirm the findings. Moreover, as an observational study it can only identify associations, not prove causality. 

No safe amount

Prior separate alcohol research has found that no amount of alcohol is fully safe to consume. It determined that any amount of alcohol consumption raises dementia risk, challenging the previously held beliefs on the benefits of light drinking. Heavy drinkers who consumed 40 or more drinks a week faced a 41% higher risk.

Another recent study that investigated lifetime alcohol consumption found a higher associated risk of colorectal and rectal cancer. The data showed the risk was especially high for current and heavy drinkers when compared to light or non-drinkers. It was also higher when heavy drinking occurred consistently during adulthood.

Moreover, a study stretching three countries with almost 20,000 participants found that consuming even a low amount of alcohol was linked to a higher hypertension risk.