Science Blog

Science news straight from the source

Navigation

  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Animals
    • Anthro and Archaeology
    • Bio and Medicine
    • Brain and Behavior
    • Business and Economy
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Education and Outreach
    • Energy and Environment
    • Geoscience
    • Internet and Communication
    • Media and Entertainment
    • Nanotech, Chem and Materials
    • Physics and Numbers
    • Security and Defense
    • Software
    • Space
    • Transportation
  • Reader Blogs
  • Commerce
  • Register/Login
  • RSS
Home Topics Brain and Behavior
  • Contact
  • Home
Google

Similar entries

  • Alcohol may be associated with irregular heart beat in men
  • Study Links Diet Quality with Alcohol Drinking Patterns
  • Light-to-moderate drinking seems to have little effect on breast cancer risk
  • Booze tied to HIV disease progression

Recent Comments

  • Josh -- once is enough
  • A few books for Josh Greenberger
  • Seriously
  • Oh for goodness sake
  • The Onion?
more

Reader Blogs

  • Spine-Relaxing Chairs Invented
  • City Council To Recognize Physics Students For Solving Stephen Hawking Mistake
  • Cystic Fibrosis – Axentis Pharma Initiates Clinical Trial for Lung Infections
  • Mysterious Disc Found
more

Quitters: U.S. alcohol consumption declining

Overall alcohol use—particularly consumption of beer—is declining in the US, according to a new study published in the August 2008 issue of The American Journal of Medicine. Researchers examined 50 years of data and found several changes in alcohol intake but no change in alcohol use disorders. Americans are drinking significantly less beer and more wine, while hard liquor use has remained fairly constant. More people now report that they are non-drinkers. People born later in the 20th century drink more moderately than older people. As we age, our individual alcohol consumption goes down.

Researchers examined 8,000 records of the Framingham Heart Study, the longest population-based study of American adults ever conducted, to measure alcohol consumption over 50 years. Because the Framingham study recruited subjects that were born before 1900 until 1959, it gives insights into behavior and medical histories through most of the 20th Century. Subjects, both from the original cohort and from the children of the original cohort, have been interviewed every 4 years, from 1948 until 2003. Since each individual was followed directly, a set of histories of lifetime alcohol use could be captured.

While heavy alcohol use is associated with numerous bad outcomes, moderate consumption has been linked to improved cardiovascular health and to improved morbidity and mortality in the elderly. This study shows that, on the whole, the American population is moving in a healthier direction. Despite more favorable patterns of drinking, risk of alcohol dependence did not show a decrease. The proportion of people who developed alcohol-related disorders, such as alcoholic cardiomyopathy or alcoholic cirrhosis remained nearly constant across all age groups.

Writing in the article, Yuqing Zhang, DSc, Boston University School of Medicine, and his co-investigators state, "The findings in this study may be considered encouraging in many ways: the average amount of alcohol has decreased in more recently born cohorts, the percentage of the population exhibiting 'moderate' alcohol intake has been increasing steadily, and the percentage reporting 'heavy' drinking has decreased over time…While these data suggest the development of more favorable patterns of alcohol consumption over the latter part of the 20th century, that also show that, at the same time, the cumulative incidence of alcohol use disorders has not shown a decrease, and continuing efforts at preventing them are warranted."

http://www.shef.ac.uk

Submitted by BJS on Wed, 2008-08-06 09:04.

  • Brain and Behavior
 
  • Printer-friendly version
  • 11916 reads



What "Age" is the cutoff?

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2008-08-12 14:40.

I suppose I find myself sort of "in the middle" of these two age segments. Born in 1968 (40 years-old), I fall after the 1953 year mentioned in the article, but don't really consider myself part of the "newer" generation, in which a decrease in drinking has been seen. If anything, I believe I am drinking more now than during any previous period of my life.

  • reply

the truth

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2008-08-07 03:17.

most people probably smoke cannabis instead now.

  • reply

Nice

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2008-08-06 18:37.

I quit drinking (for the heck of it) last June and I dont miss it at all.

JT
www.FireMe.to/udi

  • reply

No more drunk drivers

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2008-08-06 17:38.

we spend our drinking budget on gas.
It's now one or the other

  • reply

Figures please...

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2008-08-06 16:34.

How much is 'significantly'? While all this is heartening I'd like to see the actual figures.

  • reply

Alcohol has a lot of calories!

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2008-08-06 15:23.

The only alcohol I drink is wine. But I gave the wine up about 4 months ago. Since then I have lost 5 lbs of fat w/o changing anything else in my lifestyle.

  • reply

whatf?

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2008-08-06 12:06.

Why am IO drunk right now then?" Its only 2:00 her e!!!!!

  • reply

Post new comment

  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <blockquote>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

Copyright, Science Blog.
Think. It's not illegal yet. Read our Privacy Policy.
RoopleTheme