Regular alcohol use can lead to gout, cataracts and ulcers

We know that alcohol is a poison, so we shouldn't be surprised that it increases the risk of over 60 diseases, including many not thought to be linked to alcohol.

- DR MIRIAM STOPPARD

 

Oxford University research has now extended the range of diseases caused by alcohol in one group of people, in this instance, the Chinese.

Alcohol is estimated to be responsible for about three million deaths worldwide each year, and while the harmful effects of heavy drinking for certain diseases (liver cirrhosis, stroke and several types of cancer) are well known, what are the other likely conditions?

The researchers used data on 512,000 adults from the China Kadoorie Biobank from 10 diverse urban and rural areas across China. They were interviewed about their lifestyle including alcohol drinking.