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Young woman drinking fresh beer in a pub alone.
Despite growing evidence that alcohol is not very good for us, even at relatively low doses, a body of complementary work shows that we seem to drink more and more. And this week, an analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) arrives at a surprising statistic: globally, alcohol is responsible for some 3 million deaths worldwide, more than 5% of all deaths on the planet.
A disproportionate proportion – three quarters – of deaths caused by alcohol consumption are men. In other words, more than 7.5% of male deaths are attributable to alcohol, while the number is 2.5% for women. And it's even more dramatic for young people: in the Group age of 20 to 39 years, 13.5% of total mortality was related to alcohol consumption.
The WHO has analyzed data from surveys around the world to determine the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed by geographical location and per capita.
An estimated 237 million men and 46 million women drink excessively or abuse alcohol.
The team also estimates that 200 diseases and varieties of injuries are caused by alcohol consumption. "Alcohol use is associated with a risk of developing health problems such as mental and behavioral disorders, including alcohol dependence, major noncommunicable diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver, certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases," they write.
Indeed, the authors estimate that alcohol abuse accounts for 26% of oral cancers, 48% of cases of cirrhosis of the liver, 26% of pancreatitis, 20% of tuberculosis, 11% of cancers. colorectal, 5% of breast cancers and 7%. of hypertensive heart disease. They estimate that alcohol accounts for 29% of all injuries, including motor vehicle accidents, interpersonal violence and suicide.
In addition to physical illnesses and injuries, alcohol can also have serious psychological and social costs because it affects the individual, the people around them, and the economic costs in the form of lost work and health costs. .
The study found some encouraging trends. In the Americas, as well as in the countries of Africa, Eastern Mediterranean and Europe, the percentage of consumers has decreased since 2000. The quantity consumed per person has increased from 2000 to 2010, but since then it has remained stable. The highest amount per capita is in Europe.
Yet, researchers predict that while some countries, such as Australia and Japan, could reduce their per capita consumption, in other regions – the United States, Mexico and Brazil – it is expected to increase during next ten years. Similarly, other recent studies have shown that in the United States, alcohol abuse and excessive alcohol consumption have increased in recent years, particularly among minorities, the elderly and women. .
There are of course many reasons why people drink, from cultural norms to self-medication, which makes treatment very difficult. Although WHO stresses the importance of public health campaigns, it is not entirely clear what kind of work, given the magnitude of the problem. The most effective methods, as the WHO calls it, are to raise taxes on alcohol and limit advertising, while efforts to share information about health risks are likely to continue. Do more. Time will tell if public health efforts can follow historically and psychologically complex behavior.
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Young woman drinking fresh beer in a pub alone.
Despite growing evidence that alcohol is not very good for us, even at relatively low doses, a body of complementary work shows that we seem to drink more and more. And this week, an analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) arrives at a surprising statistic: globally, alcohol is responsible for some 3 million deaths worldwide, more than 5% of all deaths on the planet.
A disproportionate proportion – three quarters – of deaths caused by alcohol consumption are men. In other words, more than 7.5% of male deaths are attributable to alcohol, while the number is 2.5% for women. And it's even more dramatic for young people: in the Group age of 20 to 39 years, 13.5% of total mortality was related to alcohol consumption.
The WHO has analyzed data from surveys around the world to determine the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed by geographical location and per capita.
An estimated 237 million men and 46 million women drink excessively or abuse alcohol.
The team also estimates that 200 diseases and varieties of injuries are caused by alcohol consumption. "Alcohol use is associated with a risk of developing health problems such as mental and behavioral disorders, including alcohol dependence, major noncommunicable diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver, certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases," they write.
Indeed, the authors estimate that alcohol abuse accounts for 26% of oral cancers, 48% of cases of cirrhosis of the liver, 26% of pancreatitis, 20% of tuberculosis, 11% of cancers. colorectal, 5% of breast cancers and 7%. of hypertensive heart disease. They estimate that alcohol accounts for 29% of all injuries, including motor vehicle accidents, interpersonal violence and suicide.
In addition to physical illnesses and injuries, alcohol can also have serious psychological and social costs because it affects the individual, the people around them, and the economic costs in the form of lost work and health costs. .
The study found some encouraging trends. In the Americas, as well as in the countries of Africa, Eastern Mediterranean and Europe, the percentage of consumers has decreased since 2000. The quantity consumed per person has increased from 2000 to 2010, but since then it has remained stable. The highest amount per capita is in Europe.
Yet, researchers predict that while some countries, such as Australia and Japan, could reduce their per capita consumption, in other regions – the United States, Mexico and Brazil – it is expected to increase during next ten years. Similarly, other recent studies have shown that in the United States, alcohol abuse and excessive consumption of beverages have increased in recent years, particularly among minorities, the elderly and women.
There are of course many reasons why people drink, from cultural norms to self-medication, which makes treatment very difficult. Although WHO stresses the importance of public health campaigns, it is not entirely clear what kind of work, given the magnitude of the problem. The most effective methods, as the WHO calls it, are to raise taxes on alcohol and limit advertising, while efforts to share information about health risks are likely to continue. Do more. Time will tell if public health efforts can follow historically and psychologically complex behavior.
