Introduction: The latest
study of scientists also revealed that there is no safe level in drinking alcohols.The study, published in the international medical journal The Lancet, shows that in
2016, nearly 3 million deaths globally were attributed to alcohol use, including 12 percent of deaths in males between
the ages of 15 and 49. Alcohol use patterns vary widely by country and
by sex, the average consumption per drinker, and the attributable disease
burden. Globally, more than 2 billion people were current drinkers in 2016; 63%
were male
"The health risks associated with alcohol are
massive," said Dr. Emmanuela Gakidou of the Institute for Health Metrics
and Evaluation at the University of Washington and the senior author of the
study. "Our findings are consistent with other recent research, which
found clear and convincing correlations between drinking and premature death,
cancer, and cardiovascular problems. Zero alcohol consumption minimizes the overall risk of health loss.
It provides findings on prevalence of current drinking,
prevalence of abstention, alcohol consumption among current drinkers, and
deaths and overall poor health attributable to alcohol for 23 health outcomes,
such as communicable and non-communicable diseases and injuries, including:
Cardiovascular diseases: atrial fibrillation and flutter, hemorrhagic stroke,
ischemic stroke, hypertensive heart disease, ischemic heart disease, and
alcoholic cardiomyopathy;
Cancers: breast, colorectal, liver, esophageal, larynx, lip and oral
cavity, and nasal;
Other non-communicable diseases: cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol
use, diabetes, epilepsy, pancreatitis, and alcohol use
disorders;
Communicable diseases: lower respiratory infections and tuberculosis;
Intentional injuries: interpersonal violence and self-harm;
Unintentional injuries: exposure to mechanical forces; poisonings; fire,
heat, and hot substances; drowning; and other unintentional injuries; and
Transportation-related injuries.
Conclusion "We
now understand that alcohol is one of the major causes of death in the world
today," said Lancet Editor Richard
Horton. "We need to act now. We need to act urgently to prevent these
millions of deaths. And we can."
"There is a compelling and urgent need to overhaul policies to encourage
either lowering people's levels of alcohol consumption or abstaining
entirely," she said.
