41,000 deaths were attributed to alcohol consumption, i.e. 7% of deaths recorded in 2015, reveals a study by Public Health France. Slightly down on 2009, this figure remains worrying.
At first glance, this is good news. According to a study carried out by Santé Publique France, the number of alcohol-related deaths is down slightly in France. While in 2009 there were 49,000, experts attribute 41,000 of the 580,000 deaths recorded in 2015 to alcohol consumption, or 7% of the deaths recorded that year.
But, says the health agency, this slight decline in alcohol-related mortality is explained less by a decrease in consumption than by progress in medicine and a decrease in mortality for causes related to alcohol. the alcohol. The figures also confirm it: between 2009 and 2015, the average consumption of pure alcohol per day only fell from 27 to 26 grams, or about 2.5 standard drinks.
Alcohol consumption also continues to wreak havoc and is still today “responsible for a significant proportion of deaths before the age of 65”.
The French remain heavy drinkers
The Public Health France study highlights a marked difference between the sexes. 11% of deaths are linked to alcohol in men, ie 30,000 deaths per year, while in women, its consumption is attributable to 4% of deaths (11,000 deaths). More specifically, the study reports an average consumption of 2.3 glasses per day, or 98 days per year on average. Among men, this average consumption is 2.8 glasses, against 1.8 among women. Daily alcohol consumers are also mainly men: 15.2%, against 5.1% women.
The French generally remain heavy drinkers: 60% of them admit to consuming alcohol at least once a month and 40% at least once a week. 25% drink alcohol one to three times a week, 5.1% four to six times a week, while 10% of French people consume alcohol daily. This category includes 26% of people aged 65 to 75.
Indeed, the modes of alcohol consumption also vary according to age, reveals the study of Public Health France. Thus, if the 65-75 year olds consume an average of 3.3 glasses of alcohol per day, young people are more adept at binge drinking : 54% of 18-24 year olds have declared at least one episode of occasional heavy drinking (IPA), ie at least six glasses of alcohol consumed on one occasion.
Alcohol, 2nd cause of preventable death
Whether they consume a lot of alcohol in one evening or drink a few glasses each day, the French do not always measure the risks they incur. However, the health impact of alcohol consumption remains considerable, causing serious pathologies such as alcoholic gastritis, fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver. Alcohol also increases the risk of cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, liver, colon and rectum, larynx and breast. The drink also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and fatal injuries.
Of the 41,000 alcohol-related deaths in 2015, 16,000 were attributable to cancer, 9,900 to cardiovascular disease and 6,800 to digestive disease. After tobacco, alcohol remains the second leading cause of preventable death. Hence the need to invest in large-scale public policies, as is the case with tobacco. “It is necessary to reduce its consumption in France, in particular by encouraging the population, whose average consumption today is 2.6 glasses per adult per day, to lower it to less than ten glasses per week, dose that it is recommended not to exceed”, write the authors of the study.
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