JANUARY
The Guardian (UK) - No safe alcohol limit, new guidelines to say
Drinkers will be advised to cut back on alcohol for at least two days
a week under new public health guidelines, according to reports.
Medical Xpress - Over 400 conditions co-occur with Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorders (FASD), study finds
Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have
identified 428 distinct disease conditions that co-occur in people
with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), in the most
comprehensive review of its kind.
The Moscow Times (Russia) - Russia's Alcohol Imports Plunge to
Record Lows
Russia saw a record drop in alcohol imports in 2015 as a result of
the weakening ruble and a decline in Russians' purchasing power, the
Kommersant newspaper reported Thursday.
ABC Online (Australia) - Alcohol industry reliant on problem
drinkers, say critics
The message to drink responsibly tags nearly every alcohol
commercial. But research published today suggests that's a fairly
pointless message. It shows that the majority of drinkers, as the
liquor industry likes to point out, already do drink responsibly.
Irish Times (Ireland) - Ministers lobbied 40 times in three months
on alcohol issues
Government Ministers and their officials were lobbied on
alcohol-related issues more than 40 times in a three-month period, an
analysis of the new register of lobbying shows.
FEBRUARY
USA Today (USA) - CDC: Young women should avoid alcohol unless
using birth control
Women of childbearing age should avoid alcohol unless they're using
contraception, federal health officials said Tuesday, in a move to
reduce the number of babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Irish Times (Ireland) - More than 900 get cancer from alcohol each
year, HSE warns
More than 900 cancer cases, with 500 deaths, are caused by drinking
alcohol each year in Ireland, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has
warned.
News1130 (Canada) - Alcohol abuse costing the healthcare system
billions: Canadian Public Health Association
The country’s top doctors came out with a warning about rising
alcohol levels in Canada this week.
MARCH
DutchNews.nl (Netherlands) - Over 900 Dutch teens hospitalised
with alcohol poisoning last year
Last year over 930 Dutch teenagers ended up in hospital because they
had drunk too much alcohol, a rise of nearly 20% on 2014. And the
number with acute alcohol poisoning was up 27% on the previous year,
figures collated by paediatrician Nico van der Lely show.
Examiner.com - Six signs the next 10 yrs. for alcohol biz will be
like the last 20 for tobacco
Don't be alarmed: A second-coming of Prohibition isn't on the
horizon, and alcohol manufacturers will remain profitable just as Big
Tobacco remains solvent. America is driven by freedom to make
choices, even when they're unanimously unhealthy, and alcohol won't
stop being the drug of choice for the stressed or the celebrating.
Medical News Today - Alcohol triggers breast cancer-causing gene
Each year, tens of thousands of cases of breast cancer in the US and
Europe are linked to alcohol consumption, and it is also linked to an
increased risk of cancer recurrence in women with early-stage breast
cancer. Now, a new study provides a direct link between alcohol,
estrogen and a cancer-causing gene.
WHO (EU) - New WHO study reveals that while smoking by school-aged
children has declined significantly, young people’s health and
well-being is being undermined by gender and social inequalities
A new pan-European WHO survey of schoolchildren reveals that the
proportion of 15-year-olds who first smoked at the age of 13 has
fallen significantly since 2010.
APRIL
The Guardian (India) - Indian state Bihar imposes total ban on
alcohol sales
The Indian state of Bihar has completely banned the sale of alcohol,
including at bars and hotels.
Tech Times (UK) - 90 Percent Of People In England Do Not Link
Alcohol Drinking To Cancer
Nine out of ten people in England do not link alcohol drinking to any
cancer, despite the fact that increased risk of seven major cancers
are linked to drinking alcohol, report says.
Deutsche Welle (Germany) - Report: German teens turning away from
drugs, alcohol
A comprehensive health study in Germany has found that drug and
alcohol abuse by young people is at an all-time low. Officials warn,
however, that binge drinking remains a rampant problem.
The Local.it (Italy) - Millions of boozy Italians at risk of
alcohol problems
Some eight million Italians are consuming too much alcohol, according
to a report released on Thursday by Italy's National Health Institute
(ISS).
Medscape - Alcohol and Processed Meat Link to Stomach Cancer
An analysis from the World Cancer Research Fund has found "strong
evidence" that alcohol and processed meats can cause stomach
cancer. Stomach cancer is the 16th most common cancer in the UK with
around 7,100 cases in 2013. It is more common in men than women.
MAY
MarketWatch - The world is drinking less alcohol — except
Americans
People worldwide are drinking less alcohol — for the first time in
15 years. The U.S., however, was one notable exception.
Science World Report - Paternal Alcohol Use, Lifestyle Cause Birth
Defects
Birth defects were found to have a direct link to a father's age,
environmental factors and alcohol use. According to researchers at
the Georgetown University Medical Center, the defects were caused by
the epigenetic changes that can likely affect later generations.
Baltic Times (Lithuania) - Lithuania's Central Electoral
Commission handed over 60,000 signatures supporting restrictions on
alcohol sales
A group of activists on Monday handed more than 61,000 signatures in
support of a legislative initiative aimed at cutting alcohol
consumption in Lithuania over to the Central Electoral Commission.
Times of India (India) - Alcohol kills an Indian every 96 minutes
As the debate over an alcohol bans grows across India, 15 people die
every day - or one every 96 minutes - from the effects of drinking
alcohol, reveals an IndiaSpend analysis of 2013 National Crime
Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the latest available.
JUNE
Medical News Today - Breast cancer risk rises even with light
alcohol use
A new analysis concludes that all levels of alcohol use - even light
drinking - are associated with raised risk for breast cancer, with
higher consumption linked to higher risk. The researchers also
summarize the biological mechanism behind the link and the impact on
global breast cancer incidence and deaths due to drinking.
The Straits Times (Malaysia) - Malaysia to raise minimum age for
alcohol consumption to 21, from the current 18
Malaysia said on Wednesday (June 1) that it would raise its minimum
age for alcohol consumption to 21 next year from the current 18 to
stem underage drinking and alcohol abuse.
EurActiv.com (EU) - Health NGOs: Commission ‘listened’ to
industry on alcohol advertising
A new European Commission proposal to reform advertising rules on
television and online has opened a new battlefield for health NGOs,
advertisers and the alcohol industry.
Reuters (EU) - Heineken F1 deal triggers new call for alcohol ban
Dutch brewer Heineken's sponsorship deal with Formula One, announced
last week, has led to renewed calls from European campaigners for a
ban on alcohol sponsorship in the sport.
The Local (France) - Booze-loving France 'complicit' in alcohol
deaths
France's love for fine wines and liqueurs means the government is
closing its eyes to prevent 49,000 alcohol deaths a year, a new
damning report will say.
JULY
The Moscow Times (Russia) - Kremlin Eyes State Alcohol Monopoly
with $88M Deal
Russia's state-owned alcohol producer Rosspirtprom has acquired eight
new distilleries in a deal worth 5.7 billion rubles ($88 million),
the Vedomosti newspaper reported Wednesday.
Review Show (Hungary) - Alcohol consumption in Hungary twice the
global average
Globally, individuals above 15 years of age drink on average 6.2
litres of pure alcohol per year, which translates into 13.5 grams of
pure alcohol per day. Hungarians aged 15 years or older consume just
over twice the global average. The trend is similar among Eastern
European countries, including Ukraine, Belarus and Russian
Federation.
Tech Insider - Here are 9 serious health risks of even moderate
drinking
Many people seem to assume that alcohol is a fairly healthy, safe
habit as long as it's done in moderation. People even point to
studies that suggest small benefits to drinking red wine. Here's what
we actually know about the health risks of alcohol to a typical,
not-addicted drinker.
Vox - The hidden calories in your booze, explained in 3 charts
Three pints of India pale ale can deliver you half a day’s worth of
calories. And a typical glass of California cabernet sauvignon today
may have more alcohol and more calories than it would have a decade
ago.
AUGUST
Medscape - Updated Guidelines for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Updated clinical guidelines for diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum
disorders, field-tested in evaluations of 10,000 children in the
United States, South Africa, and Europe, provide more detail on
learning and behavioral deficits and include a new flowchart and a
photographic guide for lip and philtrum morphology.
Holyrood (Scotland) - Zika virus is not the birth defect risk
Scotland should be most worried about
Alcohol, not the Zika virus, is the Olympian challenge for Scotland
when it comes to the brain development of babies, according to
prevention author Dr Jonathan Sher.
Wall Street Journal - With Moderate Drinking Under Fire, Alcohol
Companies Go on Offensive
Public-health officials who long said light drinking was good for the
heart are now warning of cancer risks, causing ripples through the
alcohol industry.
iTechPost - 5 Benefits of Alcohol Refuted by World Health Agencies
Health officials around the world are standing by each other in
questioning the validity of the so-called benefits when you drink
aclohol. In the last decade, the aclohol industry claims they have
invested time and effort to research the benefits of drinking alcohol
only to be refuted by Health and Human Services from the U.S. and the
U.K. Today.
SEPTEMBER
Medical Daily - Underage Drinking Influenced By Exposure To
Brand-Specific Alcohol Ads, Study Finds
A study found that children who are more exposed to brand-specific
alcohol commercials on television tend to consume more of those
brands. The research also adds evidence to the link between alcohol
commercials and underage drinking.
ESPAD - New ESPAD results: teenage drinking and smoking down, but
concerns posed by new drugs and new addictive behaviours
Smoking and drinking among 15–16-year-old school students are
showing signs of decline, but there are concerns over challenges
posed by new drugs and new addictive behaviours.
EurActiv (Ireland/EU) - Ireland’s alcohol bill pleases EU health
chief, irritates industry
The Irish government won praise from the EU’s Health Commissioner
over a new bill, which imposes a stricter framework on alcohol
consumption in Ireland, including a minimum unit price, labelling and
marketing restrictions.
BBC News (Wales) - Alcohol drinkers in Wales 'cause harm to 60% of
people'
More than half of adults in Wales have been harmed by other people's
drinking, a survey has suggested.
OCTOBER
DutchNews.nl (Netherlands) - The bill for alcohol use adds up to
€2.5bn, says ministry
Alcohol costs the Netherlands a net €2.5 billion a year, according
to a report published by the health ministry.
The Guardian - Most countries get more calories from alcohol than
soft drinks – study
People in the UK and many other countries get more of their calories
from alcohol than from sugary drinks like cola and lemonade,
according to new data which suggests that tackling Britain’s drink
problem may be more important for health than cracking down on sugar
consumption.
Scotsman (Scotland) - SNP wins alcohol minimum price court battle
The Scottish Government has won its legal battle to introduce alcohol
minimum pricing in Scotland after the Court of Session today kicked
out an objection by the drinks industry.
CNN - Women now drink nearly as much alcohol as men, study finds
The report, published in the medical journal BMJ Open, analyzed 4
million people born between 1891 and 2001 and found that,
historically, men were more likely to drink alcohol, and in amounts
that would damage their health.
The Times (UK) - Alcohol bill faces ‘ferocious industry
lobbying’
The alcohol industry has been accused of “ferocious lobbying”
against a government bill to introduce minimum unit pricing and
restrict advertising.
NOVEMBER
CTV News - New data reveals alcohol's cancer toll
Alcohol consumption caused more than 700,000 new cancer cases and
around 366,000 cancer deaths in 2012, mainly in rich countries,
according to data reported Wednesday to the World Cancer Congress in
Paris.
Time - Alcohol Will Be Banned in Public Spaces During the 2022
Qatar World Cup
Qatari officials have banned alcohol in streets and other public
places during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the country’s capital,
Doha, organizers said Tuesday. Officials in the Gulf state are also
seeking alcohol bans in World Cup stadiums during the tournament.
UPI - Drinking alcohol may increase risk for prostate cancer
Drinking may raise the risk of prostate cancer, and the more men
drink the greater their risk, a new analysis of 27 studies suggests.
AAFP News (USA) - Surgeon General Issues Landmark Report on
Alcohol, Drugs
One in seven people in the United States will develop a substance use
disorder at some point in their lifetime -- yet only 10 percent of
them will receive treatment.
Wall Street Journal (UK) - Report Warns of Alcohol-Related Cancer
Deaths in England
England could suffer 135,000 cancer deaths caused by alcohol
consumption over the next two decades should current drinking trends
continue, according to a new report published Friday.
BBC News (Scotland) - Bid to appeal against minimum alcohol
pricing to Supreme Court
The Scotch Whisky Association has applied to appeal in the UK Supreme
Court against minimum pricing for alcohol in Scotland.
DECEMBER
Medical Daily - Alcohol And Heart Health: Moderate, Habitual
Drinking Can Cause Irregular Heartbeat, Study Finds
Many past studies have confirmed binge drinking can result in an
irregular heartbeat or a heart "flutter," but a new study
published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has
linked moderate, habitual drinking with the same result.
The Independent (UK) - Minimum alcohol pricing 'could improve
nation's health', says Public Health England report
A new report has asserted the health benefits of introducing minimum
pricing for alcohol as the Government continues to review the
measure.
CNN - White wine raises melanoma risk, study says
Alcohol has been linked to several different cancers, some more
strongly than others. Now a study adds a new type of cancer to the
list, and it's an unexpected one: Brown University researchers say
that drinking, even in moderate amounts, is associated with higher
rates of melanoma -- the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Scoop (New Zealand) - Alcohol is no ordinary commodity – It’s
official!
The Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, Dr Alistair Humphrey, has
triumphed in a landmark case in the Court of Appeal, which means
supermarkets can only display alcohol in separate designated areas,
away from checkouts and entrances.
