Relationship between Moderate Alcohol Consumption and All-Cause Mortality Across Different Stages of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) Syndrome: a cohort study

Background The health effects of moderate alcohol consumption remain inconclusive, both in the general population and among individuals with specific diseases. Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome (CKM) is a novel concept that involves various health conditions. This study aimed to investigate the association between moderate alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality in different stages of CKM within the UK Biobank cohort, and to validate the findings in the NHANES population. Methods This study included 112,207 participants from the UK Biobank cohort, stratified by different stages of CKM. Multiple covariates were incorporated in regression analyses to explore the relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality. Additionally, 10,904 participants from the NHANES cohort were analysed, stratified by sex, with restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves plotted for corroboration. Results The Cox regression results indicated that moderate alcohol consumption had no protective effect on either males or females. In the UK Biobank, moderate alcohol consumption was significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality, whereas no significant association was found in the NHANES cohort. Among the CKM stages, moderate drinking was positively correlated with all-cause mortality in males and females in stage II and males in stage IV, while no significant associations were observed in the other stages. The RCS curves revealed a positive correlation between alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality for both genders, indicating the absence of an "optimal drinking amount," with females showing greater sensitivity to alcohol than males. Conclusion While previous studies have suggested potential benefits of moderate alcohol consumption for cardiovascular health and reduced all-cause mortality, our analyses across two databases revealed no evidence supporting a protective effect. Instead, a positive correlation between alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality was observed for both genders. Therefore, even moderate alcohol intake warrants caution, and efforts should be made to minimize alcohol consumption. Trial registration Retrospectively registered. This is a retrospective analysis using UK Biobank and NHANES data and does not involve clinical trials.