2019 – Posted in: Daily News – Tags: alcohol, international alcohol consumption, lancet report

INDIA’S ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION REPORT

For: Preliminary
Topics covered: Alcohol, Reports findings, Health issues

News Flash

According to a study published in The Lancet Journal, India’s annual alcohol intake increased by 38 per cent – from 4.3 to 5.9 litres per year between 2010 and 2017.

It is also found that the total volume of alcohol consumed globally per year has risen by 70 per cent since 1990.

Key Findings

The study of 189 countries’ alcohol intake between 1990-2017 and estimated intake up to 2030 suggests that the world is not on track to achieve targets against harmful alcohol use.
Between 2010 and 2017, alcohol consumption increased slightly in the US (9.3-9.8 litres) and in China (7.1-7.4 litres).
As a result of increased alcohol consumption and population growth, the total volume of alcohol consumed globally per year has increased by 70 per cent – from 20,999 million litres in 1990 to 35,676 million litres in 2017.
Total volume of alcohol consumed in high-income countries has remained stable.
Alcohol intake is growing in low- and middle-income countries.
The estimates suggest that by 2030 half of all adults will drink alcohol, and almost a quarter (23 per cent) will binge drink at least once a month.
In Europe, consumption reduced by 12 per cent (from 11.2 to 9.8 litres), mainly due to decreases in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.
Intake levels remained similar in African, American, and Eastern Mediterranean regions.
Globally, the prevalence of lifetime abstinence decreased from 46 per cent in 1990 to 43 per cent in 2017, while the prevalence of current drinking increased from 45 per cent in 1990 to 47 per cent in 2017.

Binge drinkers were those consuming 60 grammes or more pure alcohol in one sitting once or more within 30 days.

World Health Organization (WHO)’s aim of reducing the harmful use of alcohol by 10 per cent by 2025 will not be reached globally.

Implementation of effective alcohol policies is warranted, especially in rapidly developing countries with growing rates of alcohol use.

Background

The study measured per capita alcohol consumption using data from the WHO and the Global Burden of Disease study.
Over the same period, it also measured the prevalence of people who did not drink for their whole lives or were current drinkers (i.e, drank alcohol at least once a year) using surveys for 149 countries, and binge drinkers using surveys from 118 countries.
In 2017, the lowest alcohol intakes were in North African and Middle Eastern countries (typically less than one litre per adult per year), while the highest intakes were in Central and Eastern European countries (in some cases more than 12 litres per adult per year).
At the country-level, Moldova had the highest alcohol intake (15 litres per adult per year), and Kuwait had the lowest (0.005 litres per person per year).
Globally, alcohol consumption is set to increase from 5.9 litres pure alcohol a year per adult in 1990 to 7.6 litres in 2030.
However, intake varied regionally. Between 2010-2017, consumption increased by 34 per cent in Southeast Asia (from 3.5 litres to 4.7 litres), with increases in India, Vietnam and Myanmar.

Health Issues

Alcohol is a major risk factor for disease, and is causally linked to over 200 diseases, in particular non-communicable diseases and injuries.
Long-term use can lead to alcohol abuse, cancer, physical dependence, and alcoholism.

Alcohol

An alcoholic drink (or alcoholic beverage) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar.

Most countries have laws regulating the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Alcohol is a depressant, which in low doses causes euphoria, reduces anxiety, and improves sociability.
In higher doses, it causes drunkenness, stupor, unconsciousness, or death.

Source: Business today

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