Fit and Tipsy? The Interrelationship between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Alcohol Consumption and Dependence

Abstract

Purpose: To examine whether higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are related to increased alcohol consumption and dependence among a large sample of adults attending a preventive medicine clinic. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 38,653 apparently healthy patients who visited the Cooper Clinic (Dallas, TX) for preventive medical examinations and enrolled in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study. The primary independent variable was cardiorespiratory fitness, based on a maximal treadmill test, and the dependent variables were alcohol consumption and dependence (self-reported). The relations between fitness category (low, moderate, high) and alcohol consumption (low, moderate, heavy) and suggested alcohol dependence (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye opener score ≥2) among women and men were estimated via multivariable regression while adjusting for covariates (e.g., age, birth year cohort, marital status, and body mass index). Results: Women within the moderate and high fitness categories had 1.58 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32-1.91) and 2.14 (95% CI, 1.77-2.58) greater odds of moderate/heavy alcohol consumption, respectively, in comparison to their low fitness counterparts. Similarly, moderate and high fit men had 1.42 (95% CI, 1.30-1.55) and 1.63 (95% CI, 1.49-1.80) times greater odds of moderate-to-heavy alcohol consumption, respectively, in comparison to the low fitness group. In addition, among men who were heavy drinkers (but not women), higher fitness levels were related to lower rates of suggested alcohol dependence. Specifically, these men had 45.7%, 41.7%, and 34.9% proportions of clinically relevant alcohol problems across low, moderate, and high fitness categories (adjusted P for trend <0.001). Conclusions: Higher fitness levels are significantly related to greater alcohol consumption among a large cohort of adult patients. Interventions focusing on increasing fitness (via physical activity promotion) might consider concurrently aiming to reduce alcohol consumption.

Longitudinal relations between physical activity and alcohol consumption among young adults.

“…For instance, Weinstock and colleagues have introduced exercise regimens to heavy drinking college students with the goal of decreasing alcohol intake and preventing the development of alcohol use disorders (AUD) among these young emerging adults (Weinstock et al, 2008(Weinstock et al, , 2016. But, if increased PA intensity, or as a recent study suggests, physical fitness (Shuval et al, 2021), leads to more drinking, as per the present study findings, then these exercise programs may be counterproductive. Together, these findings warrant more longitudinal research that may further illuminate the directionality of the relation between PA and alcohol consumption.…”

“…All data, analysis code, and research materials are available by emailing the corresponding author. Data were analyzed using Mplus, Version 8.1 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2021. The study's design and its analysis were not preregistered.…”

“…LGC modeling was conducted using Mplus Version 8.1 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2021. Given the complexity of the model we were estimating, we originally encountered problems with the model converging.…”

Risk Factors for Problematic Drinking in One’s Thirties and Forties: A Longitudinal Analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study

“…Physical activity may affect alcohol use by reducing cravings and improving mood [ 30 ]; however, cross-sectional data suggest that adults in England and Scotland who meet physical activity guidelines are more likely to drink frequently [ 20 ]. Cross-sectional data also suggest that women in the US with higher levels of aerobic fitness have higher levels of alcohol consumption [ 31 ]. The present prospective study also suggests that women who are physically active are more susceptible to problematic drinking.…”

Independent and joint associations of cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI with dementia risk: the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study

“… 26 CCLS participants are generally healthy community-dwelling men and women who are primarily white with access to medical care. 5 27 Participants are referred by their employer or self-referred to the Cooper Clinic for preventive medicine examinations. 6 28 Participants undergo an extensive medical examination, anthropometric measurements, laboratory blood testing and a fitness assessment via a maximal, graded treadmill exercise test.…”