Alcohol intake, beverage type, and lung function: a multicohort study of Chinese adults

Abstract

We aimed to investigate whether alcohol intake contributes to lung function levels and which beverage type may have an effect. We investigated 3742 participants from the Wuhai-Zhuhai Cohort and 12,526 participants from the Dongfeng-Tongji Cohort, and they were followed up for 3 and 5 years, respectively. Information on the type and daily amount of alcohol intake was collected through face-to-face interviews. Lung function was measured by trained physicians using electronic spirometers. Compared with nondrinkers, moderate alcohol intake was significantly associated with a 70.03 and 74.92 mL increase in FEV 1 and FVC, respectively (P < 0.05), after adjusting for covariates. With regard to beverage type, red wine was associated with a 105.31 and 98.91 mL increase in FEV 1 and FVC, respectively (P < 0.05). Moderate alcohol intake was also associated with a 53.37 and 66.17 mL increase in FEV 1 and FVC for liquor, respectively, and a 106.90 and 103.62 mL increase for red wine (all Ps < 0.05). In the longitudinal analyses, moderate alcohol intake and red wine were associated with a 67.77 and 103.77 mL increase in FVC, respectively (P < 0.05). Moderate alcohol intake is associated with increased lung function, especially for red wine. Further studies are needed to investigate the potential mechanism.

The association between alcohol consumption and pulmonary function: a scoping review

“…Table 1 shows the characteristics of the included studies. Geographically, 47% of the studies were conducted in North America [ 21 , 24 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 34 , 38 , 41 , 42 , 44 – 47 ], 37% in Europe [ 4 , 23 , 25 – 27 , 33 , 35 – 37 , 43 , 48 ], 17% in Asia [ 16 , 29 , 32 , 39 , 40 ] and one study in Nigeria [ 22 ]. Timewise, 47% of the studies were published before 2000 [ 21 – 26 , 31 , 42 – 48 ].…”

“…Timewise, 47% of the studies were published before 2000 [ 21 – 26 , 31 , 42 – 48 ]. The most recent studies were from 2022 [ 40 , 41 ].…”

Red wine and Resveratrol, their effect on human health

“…Vasquez et al (2018) in a study that analyzed data from 1333 adults over a period of 20 years and examined their lung function concluded that "..light to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a significantly reduced rate of decline in FVC during adulthood..." (Vasquez et al , 2018). In a very recent study, Wang, D. et al (2022) examined the relationship between mixed alcohol consumption and lung function in an adult population of 16,268 participants from three cities in China. Ethanol content (by weight) varied between beverages and was assumed to be 4% for beer, 10% for red wine, 18% for Chinese rice wine, and 45% for high spirits.…”

“…Guidelines, which recommend that alcohol consumption should not exceed 25 g/day for men and 15 g/day for women. Furthermore, when alcohol consumption on any drinking day exceeded 60 grams, they were also considered to be in the heavy drinker category (Wang, D. et al, 2022). The results of their study are presented in Table 3 below.…”

“…An improvement in prices was also observed in the mixed type of consumption. The researchers conclude that "moderate alcohol intake may be a protective factor for lung function, especially when red wine is consumed" (Wang, D. et al, 2022). Researchers from the University of Illinois, Chicago (2003) report in their article that "red wine destroys the bacteria that cause lung infections, and heart disease".…”