Alcohol consumption in the 30s and 40s is associated with body mass index in men, but not in women Longitudinal analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106811

Explanation

This study was designed to investigate the longitudinal association between alcohol consumption and body mass index (BMI).

Drinking (exposure), BMI (outcome), smoking habits, occupation, long-standing illness, and leisure time physical activity (potential confounders) were assessed at ages 30, 34, 42, and 46 in the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study.

A multilevel model was used to address the issue of correlated observations.

From these, drinking was associated with BMI in men with 15,708 observations in　5931 men and 14,077 observations in 5656 women.

According to the regression coefficients, men who drank once a week for 2 years at 0.40 (0.14, 0.15) kilograms/m and men who drank 2 most days at 0.40 (0.14, 0.15) kilograms/m per year were expected to have a 0.36 increase in BMI.

Over a 10-year period, BMI was expected to increase by 5.4 kg/m in men who drank at 2.9 kg/m, and drinking that was physically active was not associated with BMI in women.

After further adjustment for problem drinking and diet, the association between drinking and BMI was similar, and these longitudinal data suggested that drinking was associated with BMI in men and not with BMI in women, independent of other lifestyle risk factors.