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Alcohol: Number One Killer Worldwide

A new study recently published in The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, suggests that alcohol consumption is causing more deaths worldwide than previous research had suggested. According to the study, alcoholic beverages including beer and wine, are a primary risk factor for many diseases and are the primary cause of approximately 2.8 million deaths per year. In 2016, alcoholic beverages were also the seventh-leading factor when considering early death or disability around the world.

From 1990 through 2016 researchers followed 28 million people and used 592 studies to better understand the health risks of alcohol consumption. Using this information along with 694 studies researchers developed a method to estimate consumption around the world. Based on this information researchers discovered some startling numbers. Nearly 1 in 10 deaths of individuals age 15 to 49 years could be associated with consuming alcohol. Some of these deaths were caused by tuberculosis, car accidents, and self-harm.  For individuals over age 50, the number one cause of deaths associated with alcohol consumption was cancer. This accounted for almost 27 percent of deaths in women and 19 percent in men.

Researchers have also confirmed that the toll alcohol takes on the body is much worse than previously anticipated. These new details have led the researchers to state that in fact no amount of alcohol is healthy to consume, and they are calling for further regulations for the sale and use of alcohol.


According to the lead author Max Griswold from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, “Previous studies have found a protective effect of alcohol on some conditions, but we found that the combined health risks associated with alcohol increase with any amount of alcohol.”

He went on to state that research reflected direct links between alcohol consumption and risks for several diseases including cancer, injuries and infectious diseases. These links are even greater than the protective effects previous linked to alcohol and heart disease in women. “The widely held view of the health benefits of alcohol needs revising, particularly as improved methods and analyses continue to shed light on how much alcohol contributes to global death and disability,” he said in a statement.

Griswold also urged people to drink less alcohol and that less than three drinks per day will only cause minimal damage. He also suggested in USA TODAY that by cutting consumption in half, more than a million lives might be saved worldwide.

Drinking patterns affect health differently and therefore more research is necessary to confirm exactly how the way we drink affects us. We may assume binge drinking is surely more harmful than a glass of wine at the end of each day, however this may not be the case. There is also a need for more research on health after an individual discontinues using alcohol.

Currently a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Agriculture, titled “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” states that the suggested daily intake of alcoholic beverages for women is one drink per day and two for men. Also, limiting alcoholic drinks is a crucial step in preventing cancer according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology.