Researchers have found more evidence regarding the risks of alcohol consumption, linking it to diseases such as gout and cataracts. Other recently associated disorders include fractures and circulatory diseases. The research team collaborated with academics from both Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. They analyzed a Chinese database containing health information for over 512,000 adults, including their drinking habits.
Among men, alcohol consumption was significantly associated with an increased risk of 60 diseases. This included 33 diseases that had not been previously reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). While one third of the men in the study consumed alcohol regularly (at least once a week), only 2% of the rate was for women. As a result, women were used as a reference group to ensure that the increased disease risk among men was due to alcohol consumption. The team identified dosage-related risks, noting that "each 4 drinks daily is associated with a 14% increased risk of alcohol-related diseases."
Study author, Peek Kim, stated, "Many diseases are associated with daily alcohol consumption, and our findings suggest that these associations are likely causal." Professor Li Ming Li, the lead author, added, "This large collaborative study highlights the need to strengthen alcohol control policies in China."
Among these diseases are:
- Tuberculosis
- Laryngeal cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Liver cancer
- Uncertain tumor
- Colon cancer
- Lung cancer
- Rectal cancer
- Lip, oral cavity, and pharyngeal cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Other types of anemia
- Porphyria and other bleeding conditions
- Other metabolic disorders
- Diabetes
- Less common combined psychological and behavioral states
- Epilepsy
- Transient ischemic attacks
- Cataracts
- Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis
- Cardiomyopathy
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Cerebrovascular diseases.
