Article

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced risk of
cardiovascular disease. Related dietary habits and lifestyle may bias assessment
of the relationship between alcohol intake and health status. We examined the
relationship between key features relating to the consumption of alcoholic
beverages and individual profiles of objective food purchases.
RESULTS: Data were collected on regular clients of a large supermarket chain
implanted across France (n = 196,604). Food items purchased were classified into
three categories: (1) healthy foods; (2) unhealthy foods; and (3) others. Wine
consumers favoured purchase of healthy foods more often than others, whereas the
lowest level of healthy food purchasers was associated with consumption of beer
and aniseed-based beverages. Bordeaux wine purchasers spent less in their average
budget than the whole population for nine out of the 11 unhealthy food
categories. Conversely, the budget was markedly higher in non-alcohol purchasers
as compared to the whole population for seven out of the 11 unhealthy foods. The
ratio of the budget for healthy to that for unhealthy foods was also distinct
between the groups, being highest for wine and lowest for beer. In the subgroup
of non-alcohol consumers, this ratio was intermediate but significantly lower
relative to values in the five subcategories of wine purchasers. CONCLUSIONS:
Marked differences in the profile of the purchase of healthy versus unhealthy
food products as a function of the subcategory of alcoholic beverage consumed
were documented, revealing a critical unidentified confounding feature in
analyses of the potential relationship between alcohol consumption and protection
against cardiovascular disease.
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Langue : ANGLAIS