HIP OSTEOARTHRITIS was not associated with alcohol consumption in a retrospective analysis of 87,585 adults, with researchers finding no significant difference in disease odds across any level of alcohol intake after adjustment for demographic and clinical factors.
Hip osteoarthritis is projected to affect 62.6 million individuals by 2050, yet previous evidence examining a potential relationship between alcohol consumption and disease risk has remained inconsistent. To investigate this question, researchers analysed data from the All of Us Research Program Controlled Tier Dataset version 8. The study included 17,517 adults with hip osteoarthritis and 70,068 matched controls, using a one to four case to control matching ratio based on age and sex. Alcohol consumption frequency was categorised as never, monthly or less, two to four times per month, two to three times per week, and four or more times per week. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for demographic and clinical variables to evaluate the association between alcohol consumption and hip osteoarthritis.
The adjusted analysis demonstrated no statistically significant association between alcohol consumption frequency and hip osteoarthritis when compared with participants who never consumed alcohol. Low alcohol consumption was associated with an odds ratio of: 0.98; 95% confidence interval: 0.93–1.04; p=0.583. Moderate levels of alcohol consumption also showed no significant association, with all p values exceeding 0.05. Participants reporting the highest level of alcohol consumption similarly showed no increased odds of hip osteoarthritis (odds ratio: 1.02; 95% confidence interval: 0.95–1.09; p=0.599).
The analysis also identified several factors independently associated with increased odds of hip osteoarthritis. These included female sex, Asian race, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and nicotine dependence.
The findings add further evidence to an area where previous studies have produced conflicting results. Within this large and nationally representative population, alcohol consumption demonstrated neither a harmful nor a protective association with hip osteoarthritis after adjustment for potential confounding variables.
The researchers concluded that prospective studies remain necessary to clarify the long term effects of different alcoholic beverages on different joints. They suggested that future research could help determine whether beverage type or joint specific effects influence osteoarthritis risk, while current findings indicate that alcohol consumption alone was not associated with the odds of hip osteoarthritis in this population.
Reference
Patel SV et al. No association between alcohol consumption and hip osteoarthritis: a diverse national analysis of 87,585 adults from the “All of Us” research program. Clin Rheumatol. 2026;DOI: 10.1007/s10067-026-08279-5.
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