Alcohol consumption and incident osteoarthritis: A nationwide population-based longitudinal study
Authors' conclusion
Alcohol consumption was associated with incident OA in a dose-dependent manner that persisted after liver-related and weight-related restrictions, suggesting that this association is unlikely to be explained solely by hepatic dysfunction or obesity.
Study context
- Population
- South Korean adults aged ≥40 years who underwent health screening in 2009–2011 with no recorded osteoarthritis (OA) at baseline (National Health Insurance Service data)571,077 OA cases
- Participants
- 1,233,179 adults
- Exposure
- Light, moderate and heavy drinking vs non-drinkers
- Outcome
- Incident OA (first claims-based diagnosis, ICD-10 M15-M19, excluding traumatic OA)
Methodological detailsnationwide, multivariable Cox models, prespecified restricted analyses
- Nationwide
- Multivariable Cox models
- Prespecified restricted analyses
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incident OA by estimated daily ethanol intake · mean follow-up 9.9 years
Each group vs non-drinkersAdjusted hazard ratio (95% CI)
Light-drinking
1.037(1.030–1.045)
Moderate-drinking
1.081(1.072–1.091)
Heavy-drinking
1.186(1.174–1.197)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Incident OA by drinking frequency and in sensitivity analyses
- Similar dose-response pattern
Incident OA in normal liver function and normal weight cohorts (restricted analyses)
- Pattern persisted
Incident OA by sex (subgroup)
- Women showed elevated OA risk at lower levels of alcohol consumption than men
Original publication
Alcohol consumption and incident osteoarthritis: A nationwide population-based longitudinal study. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. Published 15 September 2026. doi:10.
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