World War II-veteran male twins who are discordant for alcohol consumption: 24-year mortality

D. Carmelli, G.E. Swan, W.F. Page and J.C. Christian

American Journal of Public Health, 1995, vol. 85, issue 1, 99-101

Abstract: The role of genetic and shared environmental influences in the association of alcohol with mortality was studied by using the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council World War II - veteran male twin registry. An epidemiologic questionnaire administered from 1967 through 1969 permitted identification of twin pairs discordant for alcohol consumption. The subsequent 24 years of mortality follow-up yielded data on time and cause of death. Analyzing the first or only death in drinking-discordant pairs, we observed 27 deaths in abstainer twins and 14 deaths in their light- to moderate-drinker cotwins (relative risk [RR] = 1.93). Excess mortality in twin abstainers was also indicated for deaths from cardiovascular diseases (RR = 2.0) and other causes of death excluding cancers (RR = 3.2). The protective effect, however, of light to moderate drinking did not persist in twins who were smokers at baseline.

Date: 1995
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:1995:85:1:99-101_3

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