Unite for a Framework Convention for Alcohol Control

Source: Yeung, S. L. A., & Lam, T. H. (2019). Unite for a Framework Convention for Alcohol Control. The Lancet.

In the 2012 UN Political Declaration, when describing the main contributors to the four most prominent non-communicable diseases, the term harmful use is only used to describe alcohol use. Such a term implies that alcohol use can be safe and beneficial. This assumption could be partly driven by the findings of conventional epidemiology studies indicating moderate drinkers have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than non-drinkers. Such conclusions have been the topic of debate for several decades because moderate drinkers might have other characteristics that are cardioprotective, rather than alcohol itself (ie, confounding). Wood and colleagues reported that limits for alcohol use should be much lower than currently recommended. Recommendations from some researchers and health-care professionals, together with the alcohol industry's aggressive and uncontrolled promotion to drink for cardiovascular health, have added to the increasing epidemic of alcohol use.