No level of alcohol consumption improves health

Citation

Burton R & Sheron N (2018) No level of alcohol consumption improves health. The Lancet, 392 (10152), pp. 987-988. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736%2818%2931571-x

Abstract
First paragraph: By use of methodological enhancements of previous iterations, 1 the systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016, 2 is the most comprehensive estimate of the global burden of alcohol use to date. The GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators clearly demonstrate the substantial, and larger than previously estimated, contribution of alcohol to death, disability, and ill health, globally. In 2016, alcohol use was the seventh leading risk factor for both deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), accounting for 2·2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·5–3·0) of female deaths and 6·8% (5·8–8·0) of male deaths. The burden is particularly borne among those aged 15–49 years, for whom alcohol ranks as the leading cause of DALYs. In this population, alcohol use was the leading risk factor globally in 2016, with 3·8% (3·2–4·3) of female deaths and 12·2% (10·8–13·6) of male deaths attributable to alcohol use.

Journal
The Lancet: Volume 392, Issue 10152

• Published Version