Alcohol Increases Risk of 61 Diseases, Including Previously Unrecognized Ones
A study conducted on over 500,000 Chinese individuals has revealed that alcohol consumption increases the risk of 61 diseases, including some that were not previously classified as alcohol-related by the World Health Organization (WHO). The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford, analyzed the impact of alcohol consumption on men in China, where alcohol consumption is on the rise. The study was based on health data from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB), which contains data from 512,000 adults from urban and rural areas. The study found that alcohol consumption increases the risk of 61 out of 207 diseases, including 28 that were already classified as alcohol-related by the WHO and 33 that were not previously recognized as such.
The study documented over 1.1 million hospitalizations, revealing that men who regularly consumed alcohol had a significantly higher risk of developing one of these diseases. The risk seemed to increase with certain drinking habits, such as daily drinking or consuming alcohol outside of meals. Genetic analyses also showed that increased alcohol consumption was significantly associated with a higher risk of stroke. The study highlights the profound impact of alcohol on human health and the need for further research on the subject.
According to the German Federal Ministry of Health, approximately 74,000 people die each year in Germany due to alcohol abuse, while globally, alcohol consumption is responsible for about three million deaths per year. Despite this, few studies have systematically examined the impact of alcohol on a wide range of diseases. The study’s findings underscore the need for greater awareness of the risks associated with alcohol consumption and the need for more research on the subject.
