Smoking and Alcohol Intake may Increase Risk of Diverticulitis in Women

In a recent study published in the journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology conducted by the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II) uncovered new insights into the risk factors associated with diverticulitis in women. The study included 84,232 women who were of 39 to 52 years old and examined the impact of smoking and alcohol consumption on the incidence of diverticulitis.

Over the course of 1,139,660 person-years of follow-up, this study identified 3018 incident cases of diverticulitis which revealed a significant association between smoking, alcohol consumption and the risk of developing diverticulitis.

According to the findings of the study, both current and past smoking were associated with an increased risk of diverticulitis with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.20 (95% CI, 1.04–1.39) and 1.20 (95% CI, 1.11–1.30) respectively, when compared to never smokers. Also, women who consumed 30 grams or more of alcohol per day had a multivariate HR of 1.26 (95% CI, 1.05–1.50) when compared to non-drinkers.

Individuals who had a history of smoking and consumed over 30 grams of alcohol daily faced the highest risk of diverticulitis with a multivariate HR of 1.53 (95% CI, 1.22–1.91). This risk was notably higher when compared to participants who never smoked and reported no alcohol use.

These findings add crucial inputs to our understanding of diverticulitis by emphasizing the role of modifiable lifestyle factors in its development. This research underscored the significance with compelling evidence that both smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can independently contribute to an increased incident diverticulitis risk in women.

This finding deepens our comprehension of diverticular disease and helps in improving preventive strategies. The identification of smoking and alcohol consumption as significant risk factors offers an opportunity for targeted interventions which could potentially reduce the incidence of this condition among women. 

Reference:

Gunby, S. A., Ma, W., Levy, M. J., Giovannucci, E. L., Chan, A. T., & Strate, L. L. (2023). Smoking and Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Incident Diverticulitis in Women. In Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2023.11.036