Alcohol consumption and maxillofacial fractures in times of Covid-19: a cross-sectional study in a cuban university hospital / Consumo de alcohol y fracturas maxilofaciales en tiempos de Covid-19: un estudio transversal en un hospital universitario cubano

Introduction: The consumption of alcoholic beverages reduces the body's ability to deal with dangerous situations and exposes people to trauma. Objective: To determine the association between the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the characteristics of maxillofacial fractures treated at a Cuban university hospital in the context of COVID-19. Material and Methods: An observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study was carried out in the Maxillofacial Surgery unit at the "Carlos Manuel de Céspedes" General University Hospital during the year 2020. Prevalence ratios, 95% confidence intervals and p-values were obtained using generalized linear models. Results: In 58.23% of the cases, fractures were related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. The fundamental etiology was interpersonal violence (47.75%), regardless of the consumption of alcoholic beverages. There was a prevalence of patients with nasal fractures (n=98; 55.06%), among which, 35.71% had consumed alcoholic beverages at the time of the trauma. Being male (p=0.005), the lack of university studies (p=0.007), the need for surgical treatment (p<0.001), the fractures of the zygomaticomaxillary complex (p=0.023), and the traumas that occurred during the weekends (p<0.001) or during the month of June (p=0.029) were factors associated with a higher frequency of fractures related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. There was a lower frequency of fractures associated with alcohol consumption during the months of January (p=0.006) and March (p=0.001). Conclusion: Six out of ten cases were under the influence of alcoholic beverages. There was a greater number of young and male patients, mainly due to interpersonal violence.

Introducción: La ingestión de bebidas alcohólicas disminuye la capacidad del organismo para enfrentar situaciones de peligro y lo predispone a sufrir traumatismos diversos. Objetivo: Determinar la asociación entre el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas y las características de las fracturas maxilofaciales atendidas en un hospital universitario cubano en el contexto de la COVID-19. Material y Métodos: Estudio observacional, analítico y transversal realizado en el servicio de Cirugía Maxilofacial del Hospital General Universitario "Carlos Manuel de Céspedes" durante el 2020. Se obtuvieron razones de prevalencia, intervalos de confianza a 95% y valores p mediante modelos lineales generalizados. Resultados: En el 58.23% de los casos las fracturas se relacionaron con la ingestión de bebidas alcohólicas. La etiología fundamental fue la violencia interpersonal (47.75%), independientemente del consumo o no de bebidas alcohólicas. Predominaron los pacientes con fracturas nasales (n=98; 55.06%), en los que el 35.71% había consumido bebidas alcohólicas en el momento del trauma. El sexo masculino (p=0.005), la carencia de estudios universitarios (p=0.007), la necesidad de tratamiento quirúrgico (p<0.001), las fracturas del complejo cigomático-maxilar (p=0.023), los traumas sucedidos durante los fines de semanas (p<0.001) o durante el mes de junio (p=0.029) fueron factores asociados a una mayor frecuencia de fracturas relacionadas con el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas. Hubo menor frecuencia de fracturas asociadas a este consumo durante los meses de enero (p=0.006) y marzo (p= 0.001). Conclusión: Seis de cada diez casos estuvieron bajo los efectos de la ingestión de bebidas alcohólicas. Existió una mayor afectación de pacientes jóvenes, masculinos, a causa principalmente de la violencia interpersonal.

Limbic platform capitalism: understanding the contemporary marketing of health-demoting products on social media

The purposive design, production and marketing of legal but health-demoting products that stimulate habitual consumption and pleasure for maximum profit has been called 'limbic capitalism'. In this article, drawing on alcohol and tobacco as key examples, we extend this framework into the digital realm. We argue that 'limbic platform capitalism' is a serious threat to the health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and populations. Accessed routinely through everyday digital devices, social media platforms aggressively intensify limbic capitalism because they also work through embodied limbic processes. These platforms are designed to generate, analyse and apply vast amounts of personalised data in an effort to tune flows of online content to capture users' time and attention, and influence their affects, moods, emotions and desires in order to increase profits. Social media are central to young people's socialising, identities, leisure practices and engagement in civic life. Young people actively appropriate social media for their own ends but are simultaneously recruited as consumers who are specifically targeted by producers of limbic products and services. Social media platforms have seen large increases in users and traffic through the COVID-19 pandemic and limbic capitalism has worked to intensify marketing that is context, time and place specific, driving online purchases and deliveries of limbic products. This has public health implications that require immediate attention as existing regulatory frameworks are woefully inadequate in this era of data-driven, algorithmic marketing.

Hierarchical Bayesian hedonic regression analysis of Japanese rice wine: is the price right?

PurposeThis paper aims to formulate a hedonic pricing model for Japanese rice wine, sake, via hierarchical Bayesian modeling estimated using an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. Using the estimated model, the authors examine how producing regions, rice breeds and taste characteristics affect sake prices.Design/methodology/approachThe datasets in the estimation consist of cross-sectional observations of 403 sake brands, which include sake prices, taste indicators, premium categories, rice breeds and regional dummy variables. Data were retrieved from Rakuten, Japan's largest online shopping site. The authors used the Bayesian estimation of the hedonic pricing model and used an ancillarity–sufficiency interweaving strategy to improve the sampling efficiency of MCMC.FindingsThe estimation results indicate that Japanese consumers value sweeter sake more, and the price of sake reflects the cost of rice preprocessing only for the most-expensive category of sake. No distinctive differences were identified among rice breeds or producing regions in the hedonic pricing model.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to estimate a hedonic pricing model of sake, despite the rich literature on alcoholic beverages. The findings may contribute new insights into consumer preference and proper pricing for sake breweries and distributors venturing into the e-commerce market.

The impact of temporary COVID-19 legislative moves on the ability of food enterprises to pivot in Arizona. (Special Issue: The impact of the covid-19 pandemic and the foodservice industries.)

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted shortfalls in the U.S. food system, exposing how regulatory processes shape access to the market. This paper builds on ongoing research following the impact of shut-down orders on alcohol retail via small restaurants and breweries in Arizona and examines the impacts of regulatory shifts on the ability of these food enterprises to pivot. We highlight how the concept of the pivot creates expectations of individual businesses ability to be resilient to shocks. Responses within Arizona to COVID-19 induced systemic failures, demonstrate that bottom-up pivots from small businesses can creatively and quickly meet local community needs. However, those efforts were stymied by state government and top-down approaches that proved incapable of pivoting to meet local needs. Through this case study, we highlight the need and opportunity for further examination of the interplay between regulatory agencies and small businesses in times of crisis. We invite others into the work of creating guidelines for pivoting that facilitate bottom-up and top-down collaboration while ensuring the voice and agency of different players.

A study on the dietary behavior of Korean adults: focus on dietary supplement intake, household size, and COVID-19

Objectives: This study investigates dietary supplement intakes by examining the characteristics of dietary and health-related behaviors. Data were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Dietary and health-related behaviors were also examined before and after the occurrence of COVID-19 and household types (multi-members vs. single person). Methods: Data used in this study were collected from the 2019-2020 KNHANES by including adults aged 19 to 64 years. Pregnant, lactating, and subjects consuming calories less than 500 and more than 5,000 were excluded. Differences in dietary and health-related behaviors before and after COVID-19, and between the two types of households were analyzed by Chi-square analyses using Rao-Scott. Logistic regression analyses were applied to determine which dietary and health-related behaviors affected the dietary supplement intakes. In addition, descriptive analysis was run for demographic characteristics. Results: The dietary supplement intake rate differed significantly with respect to the gender, age, education, marital status, and household income. Dietary supplement intakes, frequency of eating out, obesity, and body weight changes were significantly different before and after COVID-19. In addition, meal evaluation, frequency of eating out, drinking, smoking, activity, subjective health evaluation, and body weight changes showed significant differences by household type. Attitude towards nutrition, activity, meal evaluation, obesity, and smoking were factors that affected the intake of dietary supplements. Conclusions: While increased intake of dietary supplements is a prevalent phenomenon, this intake needs to be monitored and studied closely, considering the sociodemographic characteristics and dietary and health-related behaviors. Furthermore, the dietary supplement intake trend after COVID-19 needs to be studied along with food intake.

Challenges of the wine industry of Baja California, Mexico

The Baja California wine industry has developed significantly in recent decades, based on the increase in wine consumption in Mexico and the state government's interest for the development of regional vocations. However, its growth has not been accompanied by an integration of the sector among the producers and with the communities where it is based. This work presents an analysis of the current situation of viticulture in the state from its value chain, to identify the challenges before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the actions carried out from the production of the grape, transformation of the wine, distribution, marketing and commercialization, highlighting the social problems that affect the development of the sector and cultural identity. In this research was used the systematization methodology, which articulates the experiences of key actors related to the industry in the territory. To obtain the information, focus groups organized by activities related to the wine sector in Valle de Guadalupe were held.

43rd World Congress of Vine and Wine, Ensenada, Mexico, 31 October-4 November 2022

These proceedings contain over 100 articles discussing the latest developments and challenges facing the vine and wine industry, focusing on 4 major themes such as viticulture, oenology, economy and law, and safety and health. Specific topics discussed include the adaptation and optimization of viticultural resources, the characterization of different microclimate to improve grape quality, the validation of new oenological techniques, and the resilience of the wine sector after the COVID-19 pandemic. Other topics included the impact of climate change on viticulture, the market competitiveness of the wine sector, and public health aspects wine consumption.

Recovery rates and parosmia in olfactory loss during the COVID-19 era

INTRODUCTION. Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is a common symptom of COVID-19. In some patients, OD persists for many months, fluctuates during recovery or parosmia may occur. Knowledge about the prognosis of these patients is insufficient. METHODS. Data on chemosensory function and possible prognostic factors were collected through a baseline questionnaire and six follow-up questionnaires answered at 2-3-month intervals. RESULTS. One year after onset of OD, 42.0% of the respondents reported sustained complete recovery, 41.7% reported partial recovery and 2.4% reported no improvement of olfaction. Follow-up was unavailable for 13.9%. Parosmia, high severity of OD and female sex were associated with lower rates of recovery. Subjects who reported that OD had a high impact on their quality of life were less likely to recover within one month. Smoking, alcohol habits, BMI and physical activity were not associated with persistence of OD. CONCLUSIONS. High recovery rates were reported within the first months. Recovery of sensory function after more than six months with no prior improvement was reported. After one year, 97.1% of participants with at least one year of follow-up had reported at least some recovery. Recurring OD after initial complete recovery was reported by 24.5% of participants. Parosmia and severity of OD were associated with prolonged recovery rates. FUNDING. AF received research funding from Velux Fonden. The sponsors had no say nor any responsibilities in relation to the study.

The brewing industry in Friuli Venezia Giulia

This article discusses the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on beer production and consumption in Europe, with a focus on Friuli Venezia Giulia region in Italy. The pandemic restrictions have resulted in a contraction in the production and consumption of beer in Europe in 2020 and 2021. However, Italy has seen a recovery in the beer sector due to a surge in demand in the HoReCa channel. In terms of off-trade outlets, such as supermarkets and retail sales, there has been a continued growth trend seen in previous years, with an increasing preference for low-alcohol or alcohol-free beers. Friuli Venezia Giulia has experienced a rise in the number of beer consumers by 3.1% in 2021, with every 100 people witnessing a rise of 1.5% compared to the previous year, making it the region with the highest percentage of beer consumers in Italy. The region has seen continuous growth in craft brewing companies, with 55 as of 31 March 2022. Microbreweries are the predominant business type, and e-commerce is a service offered by 36% of the craft companies. The environmental impact resulting from the activities of the companies studied varies, and there is significant room for improvement in the future. Overall, the craft brewing industry in Friuli Venezia Giulia shows continued growth and development, contributing to the economic development of rural areas.

Alcoholism – Epidemic of the Current Time after COVID-19 Pandemic (Letter to the Editor)

Introduction: Harmful consumption of alcohol has a serious impact on public health and is considered as one of the main risk factors for health damage and disease on a global level. Increased consumption of alcohol is dangerous at any age;however, a greater risk has been shown at younger age. For this reason, our research has been focused on the consumption of alcoholic beverages among adolescents. Objective: We investigated the attitudes of students in relation to alcohol consumption. Material and methodology: To obtain necessary information, we used existing available professional literature and a nonstandardized questionnaire. For the defined research goal, we included in the research group older elementary school students and high school students. 272 respondents took overall part in the research. To test the hypotheses, we used Pearson's chi- square test of independence, Student's t-test and one-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA test - non-parametric version). Results: The results showed significant differences in alcohol consumption between smokers and non-smokers of elementary school students and high school students. In the observed group, today's generation of young people and teenagers have almost equal experiences with alcohol, whereas boys have a slightly higher drinking frequency. We also confirmed the connection between the frequency of consumption of alcoholic beverages and smoking. Regarding prevention, girls perceive a higher prevention than boys, but the subjective rate of alcoholism prevention importance is not age related. Conclusion: Of all the negative phenomena of modern human society, alcoholism is the most dangerous, due to its massive distribution. Therefore, prevention at primary level is to be taken seriously, which emphasizes a controlled consumption of alcohol. Considering the unfavorable statistical indicators of the increased alcohol consumption, especially in case of women, it is necessary to create long-term selective preventive programs.

Special yeasts for non- alcoholic and low-alcohol beers

During the coronavirus pandemic, some brewers used free capacities for product development. Novel maltose-negative yeasts from the "Hefejagd" (yeast hunt) project of the Research Center Weihenstephan formed the basis for more yeast biodiversity. This article examined the tried-and-true method of producing non-alcoholic beer with Saccharomyces ludwigii and the yeast strains Cyberlindnera misumaiensis, Cyberlindnera saturnus, and Kluyveromyces marxianus and their properties. The spectrum for producing non-alcoholic beers with maltose-negative yeasts is practically unlimited. The Research Center Weihenstephan included just three novel candidates in its study;they had previously been used very successfully for the production of non-alcoholic beers. This technology is so fascinating because it can be used for the production of non-alcoholic beers as well as non-alcoholic malt-based beverages. Two novel yeasts that are POF positive, i.e., they produce 4-vinylguaiacol, typical of wheat beer, have been added to the program and are thus ideal for brewing non-alcoholic wheat beers. Note should also be taken of the fact that prior to the invention of pure yeast culture by Emil Christian Hansen and Paul Lindner, such "foreign yeasts" had all along contributed to beer flavor and "house flavor" in mixed populations. Lindner and Delbriick initially described the beers as "empty and neutral" following the invention of yeast puree cultures. The time has come to make "yeast accessories" available to brewers in a controlled and scientific manner and to produce a targeted house flavor. This applies to both the non-alcoholic and alcoholic beer sectors.

Artificial intelligence-based approaches for traditional fermented alcoholic beverages' development: review and prospect.

Traditional fermented alcoholic beverages (TFABs) have gained widespread acceptance and enjoyed great popularity for centuries. COVID-19 pandemics lead to the surge in health demand for diet, thus TFABs once again attract increased focus for the health benefits. Though the production technology is quite mature, food companies and research institutions are looking for transformative innovation in TFABs to make healthy, nutritious offerings that give a competitive advantage in current beverage market. The implementation of intelligent platforms enables companies and researchers to gather, store and analyze data in a more convenient way. The development of data collection methods contributed to the big data environment of TFABs, providing a fresh perspective that helps brewers to observe and improve the production steps. Among data analytical tools, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is considered to be one of the most promising methodological approaches for big data analytics and decision-making of automated production, and machine learning (ML) is an important method to fulfill the goal. This review describes the development trends and challenges of TFABs in big data era and summarize the application of AI-based methods in TFABs. Finally, we provide perspectives on the potential research directions of new frontiers in application of AI approaches in the supply chain of TFABs.

Analysis of correlation between occupational stress and influencing factors of employees of a power supply company in Guangdong: based on effort-reward imbalance model

[Background] With the rapid development of China's economy, the working pressure of occupational population has increased rapidly, and the impacts of occupational stress on the physical and mental health of occupational population are becoming an important public health issue. Power supply companies are high risk industries of occupational stress covering many stressors. At present, no systematic research on occupational stress among workers in power supply companies has been reported, especially the impacts of occupational hazardous factors on occupational stress of workers. [Objective] The study aims to obtain the current status of occupational stress, explore the correlation between occupational stress and influencing factors, and provide a basis for formulating occupational stress intervention measures through a questionnaire survey of employees of a power supply company in Guangdong. [Methods] A cross-sectional study design was adopted and 1 091 employees of a power supply company in Guangdong were selected in May 2019. A general information questionnaire tailored to power supply companies was designed and distributed to collect basic information of the subjects. Occupational stress was assessed by effort-reward imbalance (ERI) index[ERI=effort score/(reward scorex0.545 4)] of ERI scale, and ERI index > 1 was defined as having high occupational stress. Chi-square test was used to compare the differences of occupational stress rate among groups with different individual characteristics, occupational characteristics, lifestyles, and exposures to occupational hazardous factors. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of high occupational stress. [Results] A total of 1 091 questionnaires were distributed in this survey, and 972 (89.1%) valid questionnaires were returned. The respondents included 859 men (88.4%) and 113 women (11.6%). There were 514 (52.9%) subjects with high occupational stress. The prevalence rate of high occupational stress were higher in men than in women, higher among married employees than among single employees, higher in employees at and over 30 years of age than in those below 30 years, higher in dispatching and maintenance workers than in other types of workers, higher in high-income-level employees than in low-income-level employees, higher in employees with < 6h sleeping time than in those with >7 h, higher in employees with alcohol consumption than in those without, and higher in those exposed to noise, electromagnetic radiation, high temperature and high altitude, and visual display terminal than in those not;these differences were all statistically significant (P < 0.05). The logistic regression analysis results showed that compared with the workers at the age of < 30 years, those at the age of 30-years and 40-years had a higher risk for high occupational stress (OR=2.438, 95% CI:1.507-3.943;OR=2.407, 95% CI:1.472-3.934, respectively);compared with customer service and other types of workers, the maintenance and dispatching workers had a higher risk for high occupational stress (OR=1.841, 95% CI:1.140-2.973;OR=2.417, 95% CI:1.149-5.083, respectively);compared with the employees who slept >7h every day, those who slept < 6h and 6-7h every day had a higher risk for high occupational stress (OR=1.735, 95% CI:1.182-2.547;OR=1.518, 95% CI:1.069-2.115, respectively);compared with those without visual display terminal exposure, the employees with such exposure had a higher risk for high occupational stress (OR=1.419, 95% CI:1.043-1.932). [Conclusion] The employees of the selected power supply company generally have a high rate of high occupational stress. Aged above 30 years, at maintenance and dispatch positions, with short sleeping duration, and with exposure to visual display terminal are risk factors of high occupational stress.

[Depression, anxiety and stress in college students before and during the first three months of COVID-19 lockdown]. / Depresión, ansiedad y estrés en estudiantes universitarios antes y durante los primeros tres meses de cuarentena por COVID-19.

Introduction: Different psychological symptoms of distress as well as drinking motives have been associated with alcohol use in college students. The COVID-19 lockdown [aislamiento social, preventivo y obligatorio (ASPO)] reduced movement to a minimum, impacting college students' mental health and generating changes in several behaviours, including alcohol use.Objectives: To examine the association between symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress, drinking motives and alcohol use in two groups of Argentinian college students, before and during the first three months of lockdown. In addition, it was examined whether drinking motives mediate the relationship between psychological distress and alcohol use.Methods: Two samples of college students, one before the lockdown (n=125; mean age, 23.87 ± 3.27 years; 73.6% women) and another during the lockdown (n=174; 24.32 ± 3.64 years; 78.2% women) completed an online survey.Results: Alcohol use, as well as social and enhancement motives, decreased in college students during lockdown. The associations between psychological distress and drinking motives with alcohol use were more consistent in the group during lockdown compared with the group after lockdown. At a multivariate level, coping motives explained an increased frequency of alcohol consumption in college students during lockdown.Conclusions: It is necessary to pay special attention to the mental health of college students who have experienced changes in their routines as a result of the restrictions implemented during the pandemic.

Seven days in medicine: 22-28 June 2022

Alcohol pricing Policies could significantly cut health harms, says WHO European countries could significantly reduce health harms from alcohol consumption by introducing minimum pricing for alcoholic beverages, said the World Health Organization. (Full story doi:10.1136/bmj.o1542) Valproate UK regulator looks into possible transgenerational effects The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is examining animal data showing that the epilepsy drug sodium valproate could trigger genetic changes that are passed on to future generations. Austerity Local spending cuts link to poor health Local government spending cuts are associated with worse multimorbidity and health related quality of life, concluded a longitudinal study of 147 English local authorities published in the Lancet Regional Health—Europe.2 After controlling for other spending a 1% cut in public health expenditure was associated with a 0.15% increase in the prevalence of two or more chronic conditions.

Special Issue: Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Canadians. (Special Issue: Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Canadians.)

This special issue contains 8 articles that discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health symptoms and wellness among Canadians, focusing on alcohol and cannabis use, suicide, child maltreatment, PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

Study of awareness among hospitality student on mulled wine with respects to health benefits of wine

The aim of the study was to know awareness among hospitality students with respect to health benefits of mulled wine and to know about wine knowledge. During the COVID-19 pandemic situation it's important to take care of health and increase immunity system. The research to find about wine knowledge and importance of mulled wine awareness. Spices used for mulled wine are cloves and cinnamon and grated nutmeg. The awareness of mulled wine were taken from the participant over the age of 18. Responses were collected by means of an online questionnaire. The gained results showed that most of the hospitality students are not aware about mulled wine or they consider it can be taken during winter only but once they are aware more exposure will be there in wine market found by researcher. Mulled wine have less alcoholic content compare to red wine as well it has health benefit by its content can increase immunity system amongst consumer and in hotel it can be advice by server to guest explaining its benefits and most of the hotel can keep in their beverage menu.

Understanding the Online Environment for the Delivery of Food, Alcohol and Tobacco: An Exploratory Analysis of ‘Dark Kitchens’ and Rapid Grocery Delivery Services

Online spaces are increasingly important in the sale of food, alcohol and tobacco. This analysis focuses on two developments in online food delivery: delivery-only ‘dark kitchens’ and rapid grocery delivery services (RGDS), with the aim to understand and assess the availability of health harming and health promoting products through these services. Data was collected for one metropolitan local authority in London, UK, using publicly available online sources. Being explorative in nature, the analysis includes descriptive statistics and qualitative assessment. Three dark kitchens (renting kitchens to 116 food businesses), three grocery delivery apps, and 76 grocery businesses available through online delivery platforms were identified. Most businesses renting dark kitchen space were ‘virtual restaurants’ (52%) selling fast food (47%) or dessert (21%) through online delivery platforms. RGDS sold a variety of items, with a focus on pre-packaged foods high in fat, salt and sugar, alcoholic beverages and tobacco. These items were also most likely to be promoted through offers and promotional language. Fruits and vegetables were less commonly available and mainly on grocery delivery apps. Online delivery services increase the temporal and geographic availability and promotion of many unhealthy products. Research expanding on the geographic area of interest is needed.

Risk of Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes in Relation to Changes in Alcohol Consumption: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Little is known about the risk of hypertension and type 2 diabetes in relation to changes in frequency and amount of alcohol consumption. This study investigated associations between changes in alcohol consumption and the risk of both conditions. This study included 96,129 individuals without hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus aged ≥ 20 years between 2006 and 2008, with follow-up until 31 December 2015. This study identified 29,043 and 18,784 incident cases of hypertension and type 2 diabetes, respectively, during an average follow-up period of 6.2 ± 2.6 and 6.9 ± 1.9 years. This study measured changes in frequency and amount of alcohol consumption using standardized self-administered questionnaires over approximately 2 years. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for the respective risks of the two conditions. Repeated occasional or frequent binge drinking was associated with an increased risk of hypertension (HR: 1.16 or 1.32;95% CI: 1.11, 1.21 or 1.16, 1.51) and type 2 diabetes (HR: 1.14 or 1.36;95% CI: 1.09, 1.20 or 1.17, 1.58) compared with continuous nondrinking. Reductions as well as increases in frequency of alcohol consumption among binge drinkers were associated with higher hypertension (HR: 1.29 or 1.30;95% CI: 1.11, 1.49 or 1.13, 1.49) and type 2 diabetes (HR: 1.26 or 1.56;95% CI: 1.06, 1.49 or 1.34, 1.81) risk. This study demonstrated that repeated binge drinking, even with a reduction of weekly alcohol consumption frequency, was associated with a higher risk of hypertension and type 2 diabetes.

Epidemiology and alcohol-related monitoring in Italy and in the Regions. Evaluation of the National Observatory on Alcohol on the impact of the alcohol consumption in support for the implementation of the activities of the National Alcohol and Health Plan. Report 2022

The alcohol consumption is an important public health problem, classified in Europe as a third risk factor for disease and premature death after smoking and arterial hypertension. The National Observatory on Alcohol (ONA) evaluates and analyses every year the national databases and conducts monitoring on behalf of the Ministry of Health and in accordance with the National Statistical Plan and the activities of the "Alcohol monitoring system - SISMA" envisaged by the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 3 March 2017 and by the recent start-up at ISS of the "central action" SISTIMAL aimed at the evaluation of implementation of national and regional alcohol that the Ministry of Health is committed in providing to World Health Organization (WHO). The ONA is the independent technical and scientific advisory body for the Ministries, the first Minister Office, the European Commission and the WHO. This report refers to 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic and shows the alcohol problems according to the new epidemiological scenarios redesigned by the COVID-19 emergency.