Alcohol and health

Talk about anything but keep it polite and reasonably clean.
Overtired and emotional
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Re: Alcohol and health

Post by Overtired and emotional »

I just Googled it....... http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 78,1413917

I was twenty years out, but the report was even better than I recalled.
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Re: Alcohol and health

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The BBC, in a story entitled [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8463333.stm]Scots 'drink 46 bottles of vodka'[/url], wrote:Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.

The research was based on industry sales data analysed by NHS Health Scotland.

It said sales for the year to September 2009 averaged 12.2 litres of pure alcohol per person over the age of 18.

The Scottish government said the figure, which had remained static since 2005, was the equivalent of 537 pints or 130 bottles of wine per person.

The new figures come as the Scottish government pushes for a minimum price for alcohol to tackle the country's drink-related problems.

In total, 50.5 million litres of pure alcohol were sold in Scotland last year, enough for every drinker over the age of 18 to exceed the weekly consumption guidelines.
Not even a bottle a week.
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DRT
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Re: Alcohol and health

Post by DRT »

jdaw1 wrote:
The BBC, in a story entitled [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8463333.stm]Scots 'drink 46 bottles of vodka'[/url], wrote:Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year
Not even a bottle a week.
Some of us no longer live in the homeland so are excluded from the statistics. :roll:
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Re: Alcohol and health

Post by Glenn E. »

jdaw1 wrote:
The BBC, in a story entitled [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8463333.stm]Scots 'drink 46 bottles of vodka'[/url], wrote:Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.
Something about this study seems suspicious to me.
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DRT
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Re: Alcohol and health

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Glenn E. wrote:
jdaw1 wrote:
The BBC, in a story entitled [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8463333.stm]Scots 'drink 46 bottles of vodka'[/url], wrote:Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.
Something about this study seems suspicious to me.
When I was in my teens growing up in Scotland my cousin and I used to be "barmen" at family parties. We had a large family so there would frequently be gatherings of 50 or more at someone's house for a booze-up. Strange as it may seem, there was probably twice as much Vodka than Whisky drunk at those events.
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Re: Alcohol and health

Post by Glenn E. »

DRT wrote:
Glenn E. wrote:
jdaw1 wrote:
The BBC, in a story entitled [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8463333.stm]Scots 'drink 46 bottles of vodka'[/url], wrote:Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.
Something about this study seems suspicious to me.
When I was in my teens growing up in Scotland my cousin and I used to be "barmen" at family parties. We had a large family so there would frequently be gatherings of 50 or more at someone's house for a booze-up. Strange as it may seem, there was probably twice as much Vodka than Whisky drunk at those events.
I'm surprised that's not a crime in Scotland!
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Alex Bridgeman
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Re: Alcohol and health

Post by Alex Bridgeman »

DRT wrote:
Glenn E. wrote:
jdaw1 wrote:
The BBC, in a story entitled [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8463333.stm]Scots 'drink 46 bottles of vodka'[/url], wrote:Adults in Scotland are drinking the equivalent of 46 bottles of vodka each in a year, a study has suggested.
Something about this study seems suspicious to me.
When I was in my teens growing up in Scotland my cousin and I used to be "barmen" at family parties. We had a large family so there would frequently be gatherings of 50 or more at someone's house for a booze-up. Strange as it may seem, there was probably twice as much Vodka than Whisky drunk at those events.
That's be because the Whisky is all exported to the countries where they make Vodka - such is the perversity of international trade.
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Re: Alcohol and health

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The BBC, in a story entitled [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8555461.stm]Women who drink wine 'less likely to gain weight'[/url], wrote:Women can enjoy a tipple and stay slim, according to a study that shows moderate drinkers gain less weight than teetotallers.

Women who drank red wine gained the least, but the results held for other wines, beers and spirits.

Although alcohol contains calories, the US researchers believe the women may have substituted it for other food.

Their work in the Archives of Internal Medicine followed over 19,000 women over 13 years.

The women recruited into the study were aged 39 or over and of normal weight at the time they joined.

Over the next 13 years, on average, they gained weight progressively.

Those who drank no alcohol gained the most weight, and there was an inverse relationship between weight gain and alcohol consumption.

Even after accounting for lifestyle, dietary factors and things like smoking and exercise, the study found those who drank the least gained the most weight.

Moderate drinking was classed as drinking up to about two 150ml glasses of wine a day.

Although the study did not include men, the authors believe the findings may not apply to men.

The women in the study who drank appeared to substitute alcohol for other food, meaning their overall calorie intake did not go up that much.

They say men who drink might not do this.

Also the way men and women break down alcohol in their liver may differ, which help might explain why women do not pile on the pounds.

But British researchers cautioned that people should be wary of concluding they can shed pounds by drinking more.

Catherine Collins, dietician and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, said: "It would be a mistake to think that drinking alcohol helps you lose weight."

She rejected the notion that the calories in alcohol don't contribute to weight gain.

"We know that alcohol calories do count. For binge drinkers, for example, alcohol can have a major impact on weight."

She pointed out that the study was based on women who were normal weight when they were recruited.

"These are quite an unusual group, who were likely to be mindful of keeping their body healthy," she said.

"Most women would have gained a few extra pounds by the age of 39.

"To be of normal weight by that age is quite a feat in itself.

"So findings about weight gain among this group may not be translate to others."

She said another limitation of the research was that it did not report how much snack food the participants ate.

"It may be that those who had wine as their treat ate less chocolate and snacks," she said.

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Re: Alcohol and health

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The BBC, in an article entitled [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8562231.stm]Obese drinkers face liver 'double whammy'[/url], wrote:Drinkers who are overweight face a "double whammy" impact on their liver, research suggests.

Two studies of more than a million UK men and women suggest excess weight and alcohol act together to raise the risk of cirrhosis and other liver diseases.

Obese women who drink little more than a glass of wine a day have almost double the risk of liver disease than other women, the researchers said.

A similar effect is seen in men, the British Medical Journal reported.

The authors of the research said "safe" alcohol limits for the overweight may need to be redefined.

Rates of liver disease and obesity are increasing in the UK.

Alcohol is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and there is mounting evidence that excess weight also plays a role.

In the first study, researchers at the University of Oxford studied more than a million middle-aged women in England and Wales.

They found that being overweight or obese increased the likelihood of developing liver cirrhosis.

Dr Bette Liu of Oxford's Cancer Epidemiology Unit said: "We estimate that almost 20% of liver cirrhosis in middle-aged UK women is due to excess weight, while almost 50% is due to alcohol consumption."

The second study followed more than 9,000 men in Scotland.

Obese men who said they drank 15 or more units a week had the greatest risk of liver disease; almost 19 times higher than those who were slim.

Writing in the BMJ, the authors said their findings have important health implications.

They said lower body mass index (BMI) specific "safe" limits of alcohol consumption may need to be defined.

Lead author Dr Carole Hart of the University of Glasgow said: "Further research might show that there could be different limits more applicable to overweight and obese people."

Alison Rogers of the British Liver Trust said the data showed a "double whammy effect" where two causes of liver disease both impact on a person's liver together, and the impact is greater than the sum of the parts.

The Department of Health said liver disease was a growing problem and they were developing a national strategy to manage it.

A spokesperson said: "Prevention is always better than cure and our public health campaigns on drinking and obesity reflects this."
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angeleyes
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Re: Alcohol and health

Post by angeleyes »

A proposed by-law for a minimum price to buy alcohol.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-ma ... r-10846702

It seems to be targeted at those who buy super strength cider and lager; 9% for 500ml will see a min price of £2.25. For the rest of us it'll make little difference (£4.50 for a bottle of wine, £1 for a can of 5% beer (and £7.50 for a bottle port).

Will it work? I fear that the destitute who depend on alcohol will switch to something far worse. Young drinkers will probably find a way of absorbing the cost. With regards to preventing drunken behaviour and improving people's health, to me it seems like a weak measure.
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Re: Alcohol and health

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The NHS has made a Drinks tracker for iPhone. Happily, we’re exempt, according to one reviewer: ‟But the 'strength' category has nothing between 17% and 37.5% - so I cannot enter sherry, port, sloe gin and lots of other drinks.”
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Re: Alcohol and health

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RealSimple (life made easier, every day) wrote:The Downside of Drinking
In addition to the immediate risks associated with alcohol use”•loss of coordination, hangovers”•there are other negatives. Here is a look at the most common risks.
by Sara Reistad-Long

Can Increase the Risk of Breast Cancer
The perils of excessive drinking, specifically alcoholism and its attendant health issues, are well documented. Medium to heavy consumption has additional drawbacks. Research presented at the 2007 European Cancer Conference indicates that having three or more drinks a day may increase your risk of breast cancer by 30 percent. This news isn’t as dramatic as it first seems. A typical woman in her 50s already has about a 3 percent risk of the disease, so a 30 percent jump would bump her risk to nearly 4 percent. But most experts agree that this is reason enough to cut back.

Alcohol Can Stress Your Skin
The ethanol in alcohol dilates blood vessels, says David Colbert, a dermatologist in New York City. ‟Initially you might flush a bit during a night out,” he says. ‟But over time too much drinking can stretch the capillaries, sometimes to the point where they expand, giving your face a permanent red hue.”
[url=http://www.realsimple.com/health/preventative-health/downside-drinking-00000000006195/page2.html]RealSimple (life made easier, every day), on page 2[/url], wrote:Drinking Can Lead To Overeating
Alcohol doesn’t stimulate appetite per se, but if you’re struggling to control your eating, drinking can lower your inhibitions and weaken your resolve to steer clear of the cocktail nuts. According to a study published in the April 2007 issue of the journal Eating Behaviors, people who had a tendency to overeat consumed more food when drinking than did others who drank the same amount. ‟Alcohol often weakens our self-control and makes us more likely to prioritize immediate gratification over longer-term goals,” says Keith Humphreys, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine. In fact, there may be a physiological reason for this. Alcohol uses the body’s glucose reserves, and recently scientists at Florida State University, in Tallahassee, found that glucose fuels the brain and that willpower is weaker when those levels are low. In addition, other research points to low glucose as the reason people crave a big meal the day after a night out.

Too Much Alcohol Affects Your Sleep
Sure, alcohol can help put you to bed, since it’s a sedative. But the alcohol will also wake you up later on. Here’s why that happens: ‟To keep your brain alert in the face of sedation, the brain alters the activity of certain hormones. The net effect is excitation that counterbalances the sedation,” says Robert Swift, a psychiatrist and an associate director of the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, in Providence. But the effects of what you drink will wear off well before your system’s countermeasures do. ‟The relaxation effect goes away and you wake up in the middle of the night with your thoughts racing,” says Swift. To soften that imbalance, have your last drink two or more hours before you go to bed; this will help your brain to consciously unwind.
This list omitted the real peril of drinking: cellar depletion. ‟The typical port drinker will initiate the drinking process by extracting from the cellar, or electrical equivalent, a bottle”, explains Professor Tongs of the Centre For Vintage Studies at ThePortForum University. ‟This depletes the stock of bottles in the cellar by at least one, and sometimes more. This process seems particularly strong in France we are investigating whether this is related to higher bread consumption, or to vitamin P deficiency (caused by a diet deficient in large pork pies).”
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Re: Alcohol and health

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[url=http://www.realsimple.com/health/preventative-health/downside-drinking-00000000006195/page2.html]RealSimple (life made easier, every day), on page 2[/url], wrote:drinking can lower your inhibitions and weaken your resolve ... [and] ... often weakens our self-control and makes us more likely to prioritize immediate gratification over longer-term goals
I am so glad that I suffer from none of those symptoms when drinking Port. It must be very difficult for those who do have these weaknesses.

jdaw1 wrote:This list omitted the real peril of drinking: cellar depletion. ‟The typical port drinker will initiate the drinking process by extracting from the cellar, or electrical equivalent, a bottle”, explains Professor Tongs of the Centre For Vintage Studies at ThePortForum University. ‟This depletes the stock of bottles in the cellar by at least one, and sometimes more. This process seems particularly strong in France we are investigating whether this is related to higher bread consumption, or to vitamin P deficiency (caused by a diet deficient in large pork pies).”
It is hard to believe that in the 21st century most of the world stands by whilst fellow human beings are left to suffer in this way. Surely a well-stocked cellar and a constant supply of pork pies are basic human rights? This really is scandellous. Perhaps we should organise a rock concert and a telethon to help these poor souls in their hour of need?
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Re: Alcohol and health

Post by jdaw1 »

DRT wrote:This really is scandellous.
Or is it your spelling that is scandalous?
DRT wrote:a constant supply of pork pies
They must be large pork pies. Baby-size pies don’t have vitamin P.
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Re: Alcohol and health

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jdaw1 wrote:
DRT wrote:This really is scandellous.
Or is it your spelling that is scandalous?
Appologies for the proposteras spelling.
jdaw1 wrote:They must be large pork pies. Baby-size pies don’t have vitamin P.
Noted. For those not familiar with official EU standards for the definition of a "large pork pie" please note that the scale starts at "extra small".
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Re: Alcohol and health

Post by jdaw1 »

The website of The Economist has A map of world alcohol consumption, which happily confirms lots of prejudices. Underneath this article one can comment.
[url=http://www.economist.com/comment/831337#comment-831337]Here[/url] mr.bungle wrote:The chart shows consumption by people aged 15+. So I guess it means total sales divided by population of 15+. So this is grossly misleading. In Eastern Europe we start drinking at the age of 8, so if you divided the consumption by the total number of actual consumers, we wouldn't be in the red zone. We are healthier than the chart shows ;-)
[url=http://www.economist.com/comment/831670#comment-831670]Here[/url] erudio wrote:I find it funny how everyone commenting from a red country is proud and everyone in lighter colors is saying they need to drink more.
I don't think that's what this study was going for.
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Re: Alcohol and health

Post by Glenn E. »

Zambino wrote: Feb 14th 2011 1:09 GMT So, the conclusion being that not only have Australians lost the ability to play test cricket, but they don't even know how to drink properly anymore.
Given the other thread we have here, I thought this comment apropros.
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Re: Alcohol and health

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The BBC, in an article entitled [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12397254]Why is alcohol consumption falling?[/url], wrote:Despite new evidence that more people are being treated in hospital for excessive drinking, the overall trend is that we are drinking less as a nation. Why?
!
But behind these stories is an unexpected truth - Britons have been drinking less and less every year since 2002.

Men and women of all ages are slowly curbing their excesses and drinking in moderation, according to the annual survey from the Office for National Statistics, which covers England, Scotland and Wales.

It suggests that heavy drinking is falling, abstinence is rising, and young people are leading the drive towards healthier drinking.
!
"In reality, we see a fairly deep-rooted decline in alcohol consumption which dates back to 2004. That's not something you see acknowledged in the media."
!
But that decline started long before the credit crunch kicked in - 2004 according to the BBPA and 2002 by the ONS figures. So what happened?
!
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Re: Alcohol and health

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The BBC, in an article entitled [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12728629]Health groups reject 'responsibility deal' on alcohol[/url], wrote:Six leading health groups have dealt the government a blow by refusing to sign up to its new "responsibility deal" on alcohol in England.

The deal covers voluntary agreements with the drinks industry on issues such as promotions and labelling, aimed at tackling alcohol abuse.

But the organisations, including Alcohol Concern, accused ministers of not being tough enough on the industry.

The government said the deal was just one strand of its public health policy.

The groups, which also include the Royal College of Physicians and the British Liver Trust, were asked to sign up to the alcohol part of the deal to show a united front between industry, health and government.

As well as alcohol there are separate workstreams on other issues, such as food and physical activity.

The full details of the responsibility deal have yet to be unveiled, with an announcement expected this week, but under it, the drinks industry would be expected to sign up to a number of alcohol pledges.

'Lack of clarity'

These reportedly include ensuring 80% of products on the shelf are labelled for unit content, raising awareness of the unit content of drinks in pubs and clubs and taking action to reduce under-age drinking.
Quite right to grumble: ‟action to reduce under-age drinking” doesn’t obviously include a 21Y rule for VP.
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Re: Alcohol and health

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Château Changyu wrote:Although wine is important to our health, excessive drinking and drinking at any time are not encouraged. So moderate drinking of wine is important and people should also know how to drink wine correctly.
[...]
If people drink wine with food, wine and other food are digested together. The absorption of wine in this way is slowed down to 1-3 hours which allow adequate time for the scavenger of active oxygen. This way of drinking is good for digestion. It also helps to stimulate people’s appetite and inhibit the absorption of alcohol. In fact, the content of alcohol in blood is only about 1/2 than that of drinking without food.
[...]
Some people don’t drink much so that they can not enjoy the health and fun that wine brings to them. According to research made by Australian scientists in 1997, it is better for men to drink 1-4 glasses and for women to drink 1-2 glasses of wine every day.
[...]
The heat energy brought to people in the form of alcohol can not be more than20% of what people need. This is the scientific measurement to the amount of wine drinking. According to people’s difference in height, weight and labor intensity, an adult needs 1200-2400 calories of heat energy for the whole day,? that is? 50-100 calories/hour. So the drinking amount of wine should be 0.4-0.8 liters/day,? that is one or half bottle of ordinary dry wine.
[...]
It is obvious that all of us can benefit from moderate drinking of wine
What would the Portman group make of this? :twisted:
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Re: Alcohol and health

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The BBC, in a story entitled [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13863196]People over 65 should drink less, a report says[/url], wrote:Recommended safe limits for drinking alcohol by older people should be drastically cut, according to a report.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists says people over 65 should drink a maximum of only 1.5 units of alcohol a day.

That is the equivalent of just over about half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine.

The report says older drinkers are less able to process alcohol and the drink might also interact with medication they may be taking for other ailments.

A group of experts from the Royal College of Psychiatrists says there is a growing problem with substance abuse among older people, who they describe as society's "invisible addicts".

The report says a third those who experience problems with alcohol abuse do so later on in life, often as a result of big changes like retirement, bereavement or feelings of boredom, loneliness and depression.

But the extent of the drinking is hidden because unlike younger drinkers, more older people drink in their own homes, the report suggests.

The problem is exacerbated by the widespread use - and misuse - of prescribed and over-the-counter medicines among elderly people which can interact badly with alcohol.

Compounding the problems are the changes our bodies undergo as we get older which mean we are less able to cope with the effects of alcohol.

The report is calling for the government to issue separate advice on safe drinking limits for older people, with an upper "safe limit" of 1.5 units of alcohol a day, or 11 units per week.

The report's authors warn that current advice - 14 units of alcohol for women and 21 for men each week - is based on work with young adults.
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Re: Alcohol and health

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Royal College of Psychiatrists? Seems an odd college to produce such a report...
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Re: Alcohol and health

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My father (medical doctor, epidemiologist) is very scathing of this report. Drink contributes to various illnesses over the long term, but provides lots of comfort short term. Which matters for old people, he asks rhetorically.
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Re: Alcohol and health

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The BBC, in a story entitled [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14154404]Binge drinking 'can damage memory skills' in teen girls[/url], wrote:Binge-drinking young women were defined as those drinking more than three pints of beer or more than four glasses of wine at one sitting. Binge-drinking men drank four pints of beer or a bottle of wine.
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Re: Alcohol and health

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The BBC, in a story entitled [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14232970]Russia classifies beer as alcoholic[/url], wrote:Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a bill that officially classifies beer as alcoholic.

Until now anything containing less than 10% alcohol in Russia has been considered a foodstuff.

The move, signed into law on Wednesday, will allow ministers to control the sale of beer in the same way that spirits are controlled.

Russian alcohol consumption is already twice the critical level set by the World Health Organization.

Although vodka has long been the traditional tipple in Russia, beer has soared in popularity, being marketed as a healthier alternative to spirits.

Over the past decade, beer sales in Russia have risen more than 40% while vodka sales have fallen by nearly 30%.
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