The risks and benefits of drinking alcohol, Royal Society of Medicine conference. 30 Sept-1 Oct

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Article Date: 29 Sep 2004 - 10:00 PDT

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The risks and benefits of drinking alcohol

Scientists, doctors and the media have taken two sides to the debate over the positive and negative effects of alcohol consumption. While excessive drinking can lead to a number of health problems, recent studies have revealed that a daily moderate intake of alcohol may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and may help to ward of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. Genetic variations and predisposition have major input into the effects on the individual. At the Drinking Alcohol: Risks & Benefits conference at the Royal Society of Medicine on 30 September - 1 October, speakers will discuss the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, the health problems associated with drinking and the various external factors affecting our decision to drink in both the UK and Sweden.

The role of alcohol marketing
Professor Gerard Hastings, University of Strathclyde

Alcohol companies work hard to market their products to the public, with their efforts being increasingly focused on young people. Professor Hastings will discuss the impact alcohol marketing - mass media advertising, in particular - on individuals and the collective population.

Psychological benefits of alcohol
Dr Lars Hokan Nilsson, Uppsala University Hospital

The diagnosis of alcohol dependence is defined as a pattern of impaired control over substance abuse. The diagnosis of substance abuse, however, is defined as adverse consequences of drinking or use of drugs, but only in the absence of dependence. This paradox leads to the question: why do people engage in the self-destructive act of alcohol abuse? Many experts have emphasized the importance of socio-economic influences, but the results of some studies have disproved this link. Dr Nilsson, a chief consultant in addiction psychiatry, will investigate the biological argument for substance abuse and dependence. He will emphasise the brain's responses to drinking, the role of neurotransmitters and our own psychological expectations when deciding to drink. These findings are being used to identify and treat alcohol dependence and abuse.

Population drinking and resulting damage
Professor Thor Norstrom, Stockholm University

The development of a 'total consumption model,' associating population drinking with alcohol-related harm has been created from the Northern European drinking patterns and the relationship to chronic outcomes such as liver cirrhosis. Professor Norstrom will present the latest findings that more comprehensively represent geography and possible outcomes. The public health perspective of alcohol consumption is supported by his information that per capita intake has the most influence on alcohol-related harm, but a society's drinking culture and patterns can affect the impact of this harm on a population.

Cardiovascular benefits of alcohol
Professor Anders Waldenstrom

Epidemiological studies imply that alcohol beverages may have protective effects on coronary artery disease and stroke. These conclusions are drawn from death rates when comparing risks for coronary artery disease in people consuming small to moderate amounts of alcohol and those who don't drink at all.

This relationship has been described as a J-shaped curve which means that the risk is highest for those that drink a lot, lower for those that drink moderately and higher again for those that abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages. A protective effect has been claimed for most types of alcoholic beverages and many possible mechanisms have been suggested. Professor Waldenstrom will talk in detail about the difficulties in interpreting published studies.

The Royal Society of Medicine
http://www.rsm.ac.uk