Harm, Benefits, and Net Effects on Mortality of Moderate Drinking of Alcohol Among Adults in Canada in 2002

Alcohol is an important risk factor contributing to the burden of chronic diseases and injuries, but is also associated with some health benefits. This study estimates risks and benefits associated with moderate consumption of alcohol in terms of mortality for Canada in 2002 by age and sex. Distribution of exposure was taken from a Canadian survey and corrected for per capita consumption from production and sales data; risk relationships were taken from published literature to calculate alcohol-attributable fractions for moderate consumption. If moderate consumption is based on average volume alone, 866 net deaths in 2002 among those younger than 70 years of age were due to moderate consumption of alcohol (1.3% of all the deaths in this age group, consisting of 1653 deaths caused and 787 deaths prevented). When heavy drinking episodes were excluded, the net effect was beneficial (55 prevented deaths, 0.09% of all deaths); the net burden was higher for younger ages and the net benefits for older ages. The net impact of average moderate alcohol consumption on mortality depends on patterns of drinking. Beneficial net effects are seen only when heavy drinking occasions are excluded. Policies should strive to reduce the burden of moderate alcohol consumption while preserving the beneficial impacts.