Moderate consumption of alcohol is associated with fewer hospitalizations
By Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed I.R.C.C.S.
December 12, 2018
A study of the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of IRCCS Neuromed (Pozzilli, Italy), in collaboration with the Department of Nutrition of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Boston), finds that people who consume alcohol moderately (one glass of wine a day), in the general framework of Mediterranean diet principles, have a lower risk of being hospitalized compared to heavier drinkers and teetotalers.
The research, published in Addiction, involved 21,000 participants in the Moli-sani epidemiological study, followed for over six years. During this period, their drinking habits were related to their number of hospital admissions.
Simona Costanzo, first author of the paper, says, “We observed that a heavy consumption of alcohol is associated with a higher probability of hospitalization, especially for cancer and alcohol-related diseases. This confirms the harmful effect of excessive alcohol drinking on health. On the other hand, those who drink in moderation present a lower risk of hospitalization for all causes and for cardiovascular diseases compared to lifetime abstainers and former drinkers.”
Licia Iacoviello, head of the Laboratory of Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology of IRCCS, says, “The data on hospitalizations is very important in relation to the impact of alcohol on public health. Hospital admissions, in fact, represent not only a serious problem for people, but they have also a strong impact on national health systems. Our study confirms the degree to which excess alcohol consumption can weigh on healthcare facilities, underlining the urgent need of managing the problem, but it also confirms and extends our previous observations according to which moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduction in mortality risk, regardless of the type of disease.”
Ken Mukamal, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, says, “We are absolutely not saying that any teetotaler should start drinking to improve his/her health. However, this research reaffirms that the effects of alcohol consumption cannot be reduced to a single catchphrase or punchline. This very comprehensive study clearly shows that we need to consider its health effects based upon both dose and disease.”
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More information: Simona Costanzo et al, Alcohol Consumption and Hospitalization Burden in an Adult Italian Population: Prospective Results from the Moli‐sani Study, Addiction (2018). DOI: 10.1111/add.14490
Journal reference: Addiction
Provided by: Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed I.R.C.C.S.
United Kingdom: One In Four UK Workers Go To Work Still Feeling Drunk
By Karen Higginbottom, Contributor
December 12, 2018
Almost a quarter of 18-34 year-olds have gone to work still feeling drunk after boozy nights out over the past year.
A survey of 2,000 UK workers by Willis Towers Watson (WTW) found that half of these workers admitted to having driven to work on these occasions. It also found that young workers are twice as likely as colleagues aged 35 and over to come into work still feeling drunk and that those older workers that do are less likely to drive into work on these occasions (44%).
Mike Blake, Well-being Lead at WTW, warned that these findings indicated that Britain’s youth were putting their safety and well-being, and potentially the safety of others, at risk.
With Christmas just around the corner and the party season starting, the likelihood of workers coming into work still feeling drunk increases. Companies should be looking at what they can do to support workers and educate them on the dangers of excessive drinking on work nights. Sensitive advice and guidance on attitudes towards alcohol and sensible drinking ranging from workshops to intranet resources can go a long way in helping to foster a responsible workplace culture.”
Almost a fifth of workers (19%) said that their employer’s culture had contributed towards unhealthy levels of drinking by encouraging alcohol consumption during staff nights out and by promoting a work hard, play hard culture. Just one in 10 employees said their employer provided them with health advice on alcohol consumption, however.
The morning after also has a damaging effect on productivity, with 27% of workers reporting that they have hangovers on a monthly basis that affect their ability to do their job. One in four 18- to 34-year-olds has taken sick days due to hangovers, compared to 13% over the age of 35. More than a third of all workers taking time off due to hangovers admitted the reason for their absence to their boss.
Blake advised that companies should be setting out to identify if alcohol misuse is a problem among their employees and, where necessary, review and revise well-being strategies to establish appropriate and effective support and intervention initiatives.
A failure to discourage or to inadvertently fan the flames of alcohol misuse can seriously jeopardize business performance through alcohol and hangover-induced downturns in energy levels – not to mention other accompanying risks, such as the negative impact on customer relations and business reputations.”