Heavy consumption of alcohol in Europe has resulted in a “public health emergency,” it has been claimed.
Some people in Europe are drinking “truly eye watering amounts.”
The stark and worrying message comes on the eve of World Heart Day (29 September)
The aim of the Day is to put the focus firmly on recognizing hidden cardiovascular symptoms and preventing heart disease.
One key goal is to raise awareness and educate the public on unrecognized or dismissed symptoms of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Another aim of the Day is the promote prevention and remind everyone that roughly 80% to 85% of premature deaths from heart disease and strokes are preventable through healthy lifestyle choices.
Governments and health institutions are now being urged to prioritize equitable heart health care and routine screenings.
Civil society organisations working to reduce alcohol-related harm in Europe have also come together to lend their support to the World Day.
They include Prof Frank Murray, Chair of the European Health Alliance on Alcohol, an alliance of 31 leading pan-European medical societies and health organisations.
Speaking on Monday, Prof Murray said: “The heavy consumption of alcohol in Europe has resulted in a public health emergency.
“The average man in the EU who consumes alcohol uses 31 standard drinks per week, a truly eye watering amount.
“The resultant health harms, and other harms such as social care and crime/justice effects, cause a huge personal and societal burden, and an unsustainable personal and societal financial cost.
“The alcohol industry for far too long has had easy access to politicians and policy makers. We must change this urgently and keep the alcohol industry and its actors completely out of health policy making,” said the Professor.
The alliance says health policy should be guided by “independent scientific evidence and the public interest”, with appropriate safeguards against conflicts of interest.
It says there is an established relationship between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease.
Further comment comes from Dr Ole Johan Bakke, President of the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME).
Bakke said: “The European Union and national governments need to recognise the scale of the impact that commercial practices have on health. Public health and wellbeing must be prioritised in policy decisions.
“This requires coordinated efforts, political will, and courage.”
The World Heart Federation identifies alcohol as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and has called for policy to be protected from industry interference.
The WHO European Region reportedly has the highest rate of alcohol consumption in the world, with alcohol contributing to around 800,000 deaths every year.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of alcohol-attributable deaths in the region, accounting for approximately half of alcohol-attributable deaths from non-communicable diseases.
Birgit Beger, CEO of the European Heart Network (EHN), said: “Despite alcohol being deeply rooted in European culture and tradition, we cannot ignore its harmful impact on our health.”
Beger said that the European Heart Network’s position paper challenges the widespread belief that low-to-moderate alcohol consumption protects the heart.
Alcohol, Beger says, remains a major cardiovascular risk factor and is responsible for close to 50,000 cardiovascular deaths in the EU each year.
Alcohol-related harm extends beyond cardiovascular disease. Alcohol consumption is also associated with a range of other non-communicable diseases and conditions, including several cancers, liver disease and digestive diseases.
“Policymakers should remember that the primary obligation of these commercial operators is to make profit for their shareholders. They do not have the health expertise, and their contribution should not influence health policy decisions, such as the information which should be provided to the public,” says Dr Peter Rice, President of Eurocare.
Civil society is now calling on Members of the European Parliament and EU institutions to ensure that public health policymaking “remains grounded in independent evidence and the public interest.”
This includes, says the alliance, “robust conflict-of-interest safeguards and transparency around lobbying and engagement with commercial actors.”
