excessive alcohol use over time can lead to the development of several chronic diseases, but a new study suggests that even moderate drinking can lead to such health issues – as well as many that were previously not linked to alcohol.
The new research, published on June 9 in the journal Nature Medicine, analyzed the health effects of alcohol use on men in China.
The team from Oxford University in the U.K. and Peking University in China found that alcohol consumption increased the risks of 61 diseases, including more than 30 diseases not previously established as alcohol-related, such as cataracts, gastric ulcers, and gout. "Alcohol consumption is adversely related to a much wider range of diseases than has previously been established, and our findings show these associations are likely to be causal," Pek Kei Im, a research fellow at Oxford Population Health and lead author of the paper, said in a statement.Known long-term health risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption include high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, certain cancers, weakened immune system, depression, anxiety, and learning and memory problems, the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Worldwide, the harmful use of alcohol is attributed to about 3 million deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization.