The low life expectancy in Russia attributed to vodka

A study confirms that heavy alcohol consumption in Russia is causing an abnormal mortality in men under 55. Alcoholism havoc in Russia. This plague had just been confirmed by a study showing that alcohol, particularly vodka, is responsible for the death of a quarter of men aged under 55. These results were published Friday in the journal Lancet .

To assess the impact of excess alcohol on the population, researchers from the Russian Centre of Moscow against cancer interviewed between 1999 and 2008 more than 151,000 men and women aged 35-74 years in three typical industrial cities northern Russia. Having realized that the most important consumers of alcohol were smokers, researchers are in a second phase focused on this group of individuals. More than 2 times more deaths Among the 57,361 smokers showed no disease at the beginning of the study, the risk of dying between 35 and 54 years was 16% for men consuming less than half a liter of vodka a week, against 20% for consumption between 1 and 3 a half-liter of 35% for 3 or more half liters. For more than 55 years (55-74 years), the risks were 50%, 54% and 64%. Extremely high rates of premature mortality confirmed, according to the study, the responsibility of alcohol and vodka on these early deaths. In ten years, more than 2,000 men in the study population died of favored by alcohol, such as diseases of liver cancer and throat , the tuberculosis , the pneumonia or diseases of the pancreas , as well poisoning with alcohol (often adulterated), accidents, violence or suicide.

 Historical fluctuations According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) published in 2011, annual alcohol consumption in Russia amounted to 15.7 liters per person, while a French drinks 13.7 liters. If these figures are not so far apart, the difference between the death rates in each country before age 55 is colossal. A Russian five died of his drinking, while this is the case for only a French 20. Same gap on life expectancy, which in Russia has not changed for 10 years. Women live to 75.1 years against 63.2 years for men, according to WHO statistics. This is much less than its European neighbors, who live to 77.4 years for men and 83.2 years for women. "Death rates Russians have fluctuated over the past 30 years, restrictions on alcohol and social climate has varied considerably under Presidents Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Putin. And the main element that guide these fluctuations is the vodka, "says Professor Richard Peto of Oxford University in Britain, who participated in the study.

 Currently, alcohol consumption in Russia fell. Under Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s, thanks to the restrictions it had decreased by 25% and mortality was followed this downward trend, before increasing again in the fall of communism. Since 2006, consumption and the risk of death fell by one third thanks to the rising price of vodka and advertising bans. At January 1, the price of a bottle of the cheapest pint in the market has undergone a further increase from 3.75 euros to 4.40 euros. The legal age to purchase alcohol could be increased from 18 years to 21 years.