New Delhi: Alcohol consumption is linked to 62 disorders, a new study has found. It identified over five dozen fully alcohol–attributable disorders, which include infectious, cardiovascular, and digestive diseases as well as cancers.
Titled ‘A review of the relationship between dimensions of alcohol consumption and the burden of disease’, the review paper was published Wednesday in the journal Addiction.
“These fully alcohol-attributable codes are mainly in the categories of non-communicable diseases and injuries such as endocrine, nutritional, metabolic and mental and behavioural disorders,” the paper said.
Alcohol a key trigger
Alcohol not only weakens the body’s defence against infectious diseases, it also increases the risk of cancers and other chronic conditions. Dr Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver, told CNN that there is a reason alcohol is used as a disinfectant.
“Alcohol is inherently toxic. We use alcohol to disinfect; we use alcohol to kill organisms. So, the question is, is any amount of it safe?” he said.
Jürgen Rehm, one of the authors of the paper, said that alcohol is a key trigger for the 62 identified disorders.
“These diseases would not even exist in the world without alcohol use. There are another 30 diseases in which alcohol plays a role, such as breast and other cancers, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia,” Rehm told CNN.
A study by Rehm titled ‘The risks associated with Alcohol use and Alcoholism’ (2011) defines heavy drinking as more than 40 g of pure alcohol a day for women and 60 g a day for men. It translates to 1.4 ounces of liquor for women and 2.1 ounces for men.
The good news is that these diseases can be slowed, stopped, and reversed.
“Fortunately, the immediate effects of alcohol on the immune system don’t last long. Depending on levels of consumption, the body bounces back within days to a week,” Rehm said.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
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