Association between alcohol consumption and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a meta-analysis of five observational studies.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the association between alcohol consumption and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Published literature on the association between alcohol consumption and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was retrieved from the PubMed and Embase databases. Two authors independently extracted the data. The quality of the identified studies was evaluated according to the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed and publication bias was assessed. Five articles, including one cohort study and seven case-control studies, and a total of 431,943 participants, were identified. The odds ratio for the association between alcohol consumption and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was 0.57 (95 % confidence interval 0.51-0.64). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses confirmed the result. Evidence for publication bias was detected. Alcohol consumption reduced the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis compared with non-drinking. Alcohol, therefore, has a potentially neuroprotective effect on the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

• Authors: Meng E, Sufang Yu, Jianrui Dou, Wu Jin, Xiang Cai, Yiyang Mao, Daojian Zhu, Rumei Yang
• Journal: Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (Neurol Sci) Vol. 37 Issue 8 Pg. 1203-8 (Aug 2016) ISSN: 1590-3478 [Electronic] Italy
• PMID: 27103621 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Review)

Topics

• Alcohol Drinking (epidemiology)
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (epidemiology)
• Databases, Bibliographic (statistics & numerical data)
• Humans
• Observational Studies as Topic
• Risk Factors