Effect of binge drinking on the liver: an alarming public health issue?
Effect of binge drinking on the liver: an alarming public health issue?
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DOI：
10.1136/gut.2007.145573
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发表时间：
2009-05-01
期刊：
影响因子：
24.5
通讯作者：
Deltenre, Pierre
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mathurin, Philippe;Deltenre, Pierre
Alcohol consumers show strong variations in demographic characteristics, alcohol intake, frequency, duration and profile of consumption. Individuals consuming up to two drinks per day (men) or one drink per day (women) are defined as moderate drinkers and do not have an increased risk compared to abstainers. Conversely, a high-risk pattern, defined as daily consumption above those limits, or binge drinking episodes, cause health, personal and social problems. This definition separates chronic drinkers from binge drinkers, as their drinking patterns are different. Binge drinking implies ‘‘drinking too much too fast’’. Periods of binge drinking (several consecutive days, weeks or months) are typically followed by periods of abstinence or, in some cases, significantly lower levels of consumption. 1 The threshold of alcohol intake per episode which is used to define binge drinking varies from one study to another. In order to propose a consensual definition, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism(Bethesda, Maryland, USA) defines binge drinking episodes as consumption of five or more drinks (male) or four or more drinks (female) in the space of about 2 h. 2 This definition is not clear-cut. It does not consider the amount of alcohol intake in one binge episode, nor the possibility that some individuals may go on several binges during the same day. Moreover, the behaviour of some binge drinkers may overlap that of chronic drinkers, with several binges over several consecutive days. The latter issue has been partially addressed by previous studies showing that repetition of binge episodes during adolescence constitutes a risk factor for being a chronic drinker during adulthood.A considerable increase in binge drinking is currently being seen in Western countries. This tendency appears to be more striking in beer-and spirit-drinking cultures in the UK and northern Europe. 3 Young people seem particularly prone to this habit because they may be unreceptive to ‘‘sensible drinking’’messages. 4 As an example, between 1993 and 2001 in the USA, binge drinking episodes per person per year increased by 17%, with the highest rates occurring among youth aged 18 to 25 years. 5 In the UK, the Health Survey for England (HSE) reported that 57% of young men were binge drinkers. 6 Most European countries exhibit the same trend toward an increase in binge drinking, even in southern countries. As an example, one French 17-yearold population reported having had binge drinking episodes, over the previous month, of one, three or ten times in 45.8%, 17.9% and 2.2% of cases, respectively. 7 Since 1998, American college students aged 18–24 years have had a significantly higher increase in alcoholrelated deaths than population totals for the same age. 8 Thus, reducing binge drinking in adolescents and adults constitutes one of the leading health objectives in Western countries. Up to now, well-known consequences of binge drinking include unintentional injuries, interpersonal violence, fetal alcohol syndrome, child neglect, loss of productivity, suicide, sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancy. The impact of binge drinking on cardiovascular disease has been studied extensively. The effects of alcohol consumption vary according to alcohol amount and pattern of drinking. Daily drinkers with light-to-moderate alcohol consumption show a lower risk of coronary disease. This favourable effect may be involved, at least in part, in the J-shaped relationship between alcohol intake and cardiovascular
