I've been thinking about the new alcohol-related hospital admissions stats, and the need - if we are to reduce admission rates - to turn our attention towards the main alcohol-related conditions (as opposed to the small group of conditions directly caused by alcohol).
Although we have always known excessive drinking is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), for example, other factors are seen as more important - smoking and obesity. I understand there are no plans to prioritise alcohol in the CVD screening programme that will be rolled out from 09/10 (under the screening plans everyone aged 40 to 74 will be assessed for vascular risk in primary care).
Chatting about this to Jim Young, editor of the indispensible Daily Dose, and now also involved in a new diabetes news service, Glycosmedia, he immediately found a US study which has just reported that people who drink too much have increased odds of developing 'metabolic syndrome', a series of risk factors and conditions that are strongly related to cardiovascular disease, inlcuding obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
The study, expected to be published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, defines excess drinking as more than two drinks per day for men or one drink a day for women. Binge drinkers are also considered to be at an increased risk.
The authors said that public health messages should emphasise the potential cardiometabolic risk linked to drinking in excess, and:
"Prevention efforts should focus on reducing alcohol consumption to safer levels. Unfortunately, few physicians screen their patients about alcohol use or are knowledgeable about guidelines that define low-risk or moderate drinking."
In the UK are we doing enough to make the links between metabolic syndrome conditions and alcohol? Please get in touch if you have any comments on this (email or leave a comment).
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