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 Researchers confirmed an increased risk of death from
alcohol-related cancers as well as death from all causes among those
who drank more than just occasionally, compared to people who never
imbibed. But the elevated risk diminished or disappeared if drinkers
exercised regularly.
“Alcohol is the most commonly consumed psychotropic drug that, in
contrast to most other drugs, is socially and culturally
acceptable,” said senior author Emmanuel Stamatakis, an associate
professor of exercise, health and physical activity at the
University of Sydney in Australia.
“Alcohol consumption is high, and there are no signs that this will
change,” he told Reuters Health by email. “We need to find ways to
reduce some of the health risks associated with drinking.”
Nearly 90 percent of Americans report drinking alcohol during their
lifetimes, and more than half of adults say they have consumed
alcohol in the past month, according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). More than half of American adults also
get no exercise, according to CDC.
Previous studies have linked alcohol use with increased risk for
certain cancers, as well as heart disease, liver disease and several
mental health conditions, the study team writes in the British
Journal of Sports Medicine. However, there is little research
investigating whether positive health behaviors, such as physical
activity or diet, might offset the long-term risks of alcohol use.
The researchers analyzed data on 36,000 men and women over age 40
who took part in the annual Health Survey for England or the
Scottish Health Survey in the 1990s and 2000s.
Participants were grouped into six categories: Never consumed
alcohol, ex-drinker, occasional drinker, or drinks more than
occasionally but within current guidelines (less than 14 standard UK
drink units - equivalent to 8 standard U.S. drinks - per week for
women and less than 21 UK units or 12 U.S. standard drinks for men).
The final two categories were “hazardous” drinking (14 to 35 UK
units per week for women or 21 to 49 units for men) and “harmful”
drinking (any more than "hazardous").
Researchers also categorized weekly exercise in terms of metabolic
equivalents of task (METs), a measure of energy expended. An average
of 7.5 MET-hours per week, for example, translates roughly to a
little over two hours of brisk walking at 3 miles per hour.
After adjusting for other factors including age, race, sex, weight,
social class, smoking and other diseases, researchers found that
people drinking within guidelines and getting little or no exercise
were 16 percent more likely than people who never drank to die of
any cause during the course of the study, and 47 percent more likely
to die of cancer. “Hazardous” drinkers had similar risks as those
within guidelines, and “harmful” drinking carried a 58 percent
higher risk of death from all causes and an 87 percent higher risk
of death from cancer.
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At 7.5 MET-hours per week, people drinking within
guidelines had about the same risk of all-cause mortality as those
who never drank and 11 percent higher risk of cancer death.
Hazardous drinkers had 18 percent higher risk of all-cause mortality
and 9 percent higher risk of cancer death.
With 15 MET-hours of exercise per week, drinkers within guidelines
had 10 percent to 20 percent lower risk of death compared to
never-drinkers, and even harmful drinkers had about the same risk of
death from cancer as never-drinkers and just 13 percent higher risk
of all-cause mortality. At all exercise levels, “harmful” drinking
still carried significantly elevated death risk.
Benefits of exercise include reduced inflammation and improved
immunity, the study team writes, while alcohol has the opposite
effect.
“There are few things that make humans look better, feel better, be
more productive and live a longer and better quality life,”
Stamatakis said. “For people who don’t do any physical activity,
starting with 10-minute walks every week and building to 30 minutes
per day is a great first step.”
“This study suggests what science tells us broadly with respect to
alcohol and exercise,” said Tim Naimi, an associate professor at
Boston University, who was not involved with the research.
“At the end of the day, the less people drink, the better,” he said.
“And the more people exercise, the better.”
“This is about reducing the consequences,” Naimi added. “Unlike our
genes, which we can’t control, we can make better choices about
exercise and drinking that can improve our health in the long run.”
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2cJmcLM British Journal of Sports Medicine,
online August 31, 2016.
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