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  • Original Communication
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Alcohol drinking and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Abstract

Objective: To analyse the relation between alcohol intake and the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

Design: Hospital-based case–control study.

Settings: The greater Milan area and the province of Pordenone, Northern Italy.

Subjects: Cases were 446 (256 men and 190 women) with histologically confirmed incident NHL, and controls were 1295 (791 men and 504 women) with acute non-neoplastic conditions.

Results: Compared to non-drinkers, the odds ratio (OR) was 0.92 for <3 drinks per day, 0.98 for 3–6 drinks, and 1.02 for ≥7 drinks per day. Wine drinking was also not associated with risk, and the OR was 0.85 for drinkers of ≥7 drinks/day compared to non-drinkers. Beer and spirit intake was also not associated with NHL risk.

Conclusions: Our study, based on a population with relatively high alcohol intakes, indicates that there is no appreciable association between intake of various alcoholic beverages and the risk of NHL.

Sponsorship: Italian Association for Research on Cancer, Milan, Italy.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2001) 55, 824–826

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Tavani, A., Gallus, S., La Vecchia, C. et al. Alcohol drinking and risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Eur J Clin Nutr 55, 824–826 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601245

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