Is evening chronotype associated with higher alcohol consumption? A systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

A broader understanding of whether and to what extent chronotype should be considered a risk factor for alcohol consumption is needed. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the evidence on the association between evening chronotype and alcohol consumption. A systematic search of observational studies on this association was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and PsycINFO databases up to April 30^th, 2023. Random-effect models estimated the pooled odds ratio (OR) of alcohol consumption according to chronotype. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and Quality Assessment tool for Observational Cohorts and Cross-sectional Studies from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute were followed. A total of 33 studies involving 28 207 individuals (age range: 18–93 years) were included in this review. Overall, most studies indicated a higher volume and frequency of alcohol consumption in evening-type individuals than in individuals with different chronotypes. Additionally, a meta-analysis including 13 studies showed that evening-type individuals were 41% more likely to consume alcohol than those with other chronotypes (OR = 1.41, 95% confidence interval: 1.16–1.66; I² = 38.0%). Limitations of the present findings are the predominance of cross-sectional studies and varied definitions of alcohol consumption. The available evidence supports an association between the evening chronotype and alcohol consumption. The evening-type population, especially young adults, is a specific target for educational interventions for preventing or reducing alcohol consumption.

PROSPERO number: CRD42022343778.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol drinking
• chronotype
• Morningness-eveningness
• sleep timing
• systematic review

Author contributions

Study design: RS, GDGM, RR, CMG and AEM. Study selection: RS and GDGM. Data extraction, analysis and interpretation: RS, RR, JFL-G and AEM. Manuscript writing: RS, GDGM, RR, CMG and AEM. Manuscript review and valuable intellectual contribution: VM-V and JFL-G. Supervision: AEM. Editing and final approval of manuscript: All authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/07420528.2023.2256899.

Additional information

Funding

RS receives financial support from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) from the Ministry of Education, Brazil. AEM is supported by a ‘Beatriz Galindo’ contract [BEAGAL18/00093] from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. JFL-G is a Margarita Salas Fellow (Universidad Pública de Navarra, Spain – 1225/2022). No other specific funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.