An extensive body of research has explored the dose–response association between alcohol consumption and assorted negative health events 1, 2, 3, 4. However, the majority of existing studies have operationalized drinking according to a single baseline measure of self‐reported alcohol consumption. For instance, of the 38 longitudinal studies analysed as part of a recent meta‐analysis into the effect of drinking upon the risk of Type 2 diabetes 2, only one had utilized data from subsequent phases of follow‐up 5. In so doing, constituent studies assume that drinking is stable during the follow‐up period, but there is reason to doubt this. As detailed elsewhere 6, 7, alcohol consumption appears to vary markedly as a function of age, with disparate trajectories reported throughout the adult life‐course. As noted by a meta‐analysis of alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease 1, the cross‐sectional categorization of participants into drinking categories risks provides a poor operationalization of consumption during the life‐course, particularly in studies of longer duration.
