Health

Giving Up Alcohol Boosts Mental Health in Women

241

By Norra MacReady

For women, quitting drinking may be linked to a significant improvement in mental health, according to a study published online this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The findings come from a comparison of two groups of people, which together included more than 40,000 people. In both, women who never drank alcohol reported the highest levels of mental well-being, but women who started out as moderate drinkers and quit during the 4-year study period had the greatest improvements in mental health, such that their well-being was close to that of the abstainers.

Mental health also improved among men who quit drinking, but the results were not statistically significant, say study authors Xiaoxin I. Yao, PhD, of the School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, and their colleagues.

The findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that moderate drinking may not improve health-related quality of life, co-author Michael Y. Ni, MD, of the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health, said in a news release. “Instead, quitting drinking may be associated with a more favorable change in mental well-being, approaching the level of lifetime abstainers.”

The researchers analyzed data from adults taking part in the FAMILY Cohort study, which analyzes things that contribute to the well-being of citizens in Hong Kong.

To account for cultural differences, the authors also analyzed data from the U.S. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, which was designed to measure alcohol use disorders and related diseases among adults in the United States.

For the study, the authors defined “moderate drinkers” as women who had seven drinks or fewer per week. “People who reported heavy drinking were excluded because the evidence for adverse impacts of heavy drinking on health-related quality of life is well established,” they explain.

At the beginning, men and women who had never drunk alcohol reported the highest levels of mental well-being, after adjusting for a wide range of variables including sociodemographic characteristics, body mass index, smoking status, self-reported physical health, and physical activity.

But at follow-up, improvement in mental health among women who had quit drinking during the study period was greater than women who were lifetime abstainers.

For people who stop drinking, the benefits may be similar to those experienced by people who quit smoking, who ultimately have health outcomes similar to those who have never smoked, the authors suggest.

Credit: WebMD

Leave a comment

Related Articles

FG launches free Caesarean section initiative for Nigerian women

The Federal Government has launched a life-changing initiative, providing free Caesarean sections...

Cholera claims 10 lives in Enugu

At least 10 fatalities have been recorded in Enugu State following a...

Mpox outbreak: Cross River, Lagos lead with highest cases

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says Mpox cases...

NAFDAC seizes N5bln flood-damaged drugs in Borno

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has...

LUTH starts bone marrow transplant to cure sickle cell disease

The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), in conjunction with the Sickle Cell...

Nigeria reports 4,915 suspected meningitis cases, 361 fatalities – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a...

Mpox outbreak: 67 cases confirmed in 23 states – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed 67...

NAFDAC probes Delta Pastor Jeremiah’s “agency-approved” miracle water, soap

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has...

FG sets Oct. 8 as the tentative date for mpox vaccination

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has announced that the...

FG grants 50% electricity subsidy to hospitals nationwide

The Federal Government has granted a 50 percent subsidy on electricity consumption...

U.S. donates 10,000 Mpox vaccines to Nigeria

The United States Government on Tuesday donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos...

Counterfeit beverages: NAFDAC clamps down on Bauchi stores, markets

The Bauchi State Office of the National Agency for Food and Drug...

NAFDAC shuts down bakery for using unfortified sugar, banned potassium bromate

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has...

Newly inaugurated Lagos private medical facility forays into nuclear medicine

“Nuclear medicine helps in the treatment of thyroid disease, cancer, and arthritis,...

Counterfeit alcoholic beverages: NAFDAC seals 100 shops, suspects apprehended in Enugu

The National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has shut...

Illicit drugs fuel crimes, criminalities in Nigeria – Marwa

Retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement...

PCN descends on unlicensed medicine outlets, shuts 531 in Abuja

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has closed down 531 medicine outlets...

Cholera outbreak: FG in talks with GAVI to secure emergency vaccine doses

Amid a global vaccine shortage, the Federal Government says it has sought...

Housing, transport, economic reforms critical to containing cholera outbreak – FG

The Federal Government has declared that simultaneously addressing the interconnected issues of...

FEC approves $1.4bln to strengthen NDLEA’s fight against drug trafficking

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N1.99 billion for the purchase...