A new scientific study concludes that there is no safe level to drink alcohol.
The study shows that in 2016, nearly 3 million deaths worldwide were attributed to alcohol use, including 12 percent of deaths in men between the ages of 15 and 49 year. The study does not distinguish between beer, wine and spirits. However, researchers used data on all alcohol-related deaths in general and related health outcomes to determine their conclusions.
Alcohol use patterns vary greatly by country and by gender, the average consumption per drinker and the attributable burden of disease. Globally, more than 2 billion people were current drinkers in 2016; 63% were male.
“Average consumption” refers to a standard drink, defined in the study as 10 grams of pure alcohol consumed daily by a person, approximately the equivalent of:
A small glass of red wine (100 ml) with an alcohol content of 13%;
A can or bottle of beer (375 ml) with 3.5% alcohol by volume; or
A shot of whiskey or other spirits (30ml) with 40% alcohol by volume.
“Standard drinks” vary by country. In the United Kingdom, for example, a standard drink is 8 grams of alcohol, while in Australia, the United States and Japan it is 10 grams, 14 grams and 20 grams respectively.
The study assesses alcohol-related health outcomes and patterns between 1990 and 2016 for 195 countries and territories and by age and gender.
It includes findings on the prevalence of current alcohol use, abstinence prevalence, alcohol use among current drinkers and deaths, and overall ill 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, esophagus, larynx, lip and oral cavity and nose;
Other non-communicable diseases:cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol consumption, diabetes, epilepsy, pancreatitis and alcohol use disorders;
Communicable diseases:lower respiratory tract infections and tuberculosis;
Intentional injuries:interpersonal violence and self-harm;
Unintended injuries:exposure to mechanical forces; poisonings; fire, heat and hot substances; drowning; and other accidental injuries; and
Transport related injuries.
With the largest body of evidence to date, this study makes clear the relationship between health and alcohol – drinking causes significant health loss, in myriad ways, around the world.
