The following information was extracted from existing meta-analyses or calculated in new meta-analyses: Quantitative information on the number of underlying studies and dose-response relationship on average volume of alcohol consumption and the respective outcome.Fit of fractional polynomial models to determine the dose-response relationship: this involved two main steps – (1) testing for heterogeneity, publication and other bias between the studies identified in the systematic review [22-26], and (2) generating curves. The latter employed a fixed or random-effects model (depending on results of the first step) of 1st and/or 2nd order polynomials to define the curve, with goodness-of-fit determined by decreases in overall deviance compared to linear respectively quadratic referent models [27].
