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posted by chromas on Saturday November 17 2018, @07:47AM   Printer-friendly
from the think-I'll-move dept.

Where you Live Could Influence how Much you Drink:

Where you live could influence how much you drink. According to new research from the University of Pittsburgh Division of Gastroenterology, people living in colder regions with less sunlight drink more alcohol than their warm-weather counterparts.

The study, recently published online in Hepatology, found that as temperature and sunlight hours dropped, alcohol consumption increased. Climate factors also were tied to binge drinking and the prevalence of alcoholic liver disease, one of the main causes of mortality in patients with prolonged excessive alcohol use.

"It's something that everyone has assumed for decades, but no one has scientifically demonstrated it. Why do people in Russia drink so much? Why in Wisconsin? Everybody assumes that's because it's cold," said senior author Ramon Bataller, M.D., Ph.D., chief of hepatology at UPMC, professor of medicine at Pitt, and associate director of the Pittsburgh Liver Research Center. "But we couldn't find a single paper linking climate to alcohol intake or alcoholic cirrhosis. This is the first study that systematically demonstrates that worldwide and in America, in colder areas and areas with less sun, you have more drinking and more alcoholic cirrhosis."

Alcohol is a vasodilator – it increases the flow of warm blood to the skin, which is full of temperature sensors – so drinking can increase feelings of warmth. In Siberia that could be pleasant, but not so much in the Sahara.

Drinking also is linked to depression, which tends to be worse when sunlight is scarce and there's a chill in the air.

Using data from the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization and other large, public data sets, Bataller's group found a clear negative correlation between climate factors – average temperature and sunlight hours – and alcohol consumption, measured as total alcohol intake per capita, percent of the population that drinks alcohol, and the incidence of binge drinking.

The researchers also found evidence that climate contributed to a higher burden of alcoholic liver disease. These trends were true both when comparing across countries around the world and also when comparing across counties within the United States.

Journal Reference
Meritxell Ventura-Cots, Ariel E. Watts, Monica Cruz-Lemini, et. al. Colder weather and fewer sunlight hours increase alcohol consumption and alcoholic cirrhosis worldwide. Hepatology, 2018; DOI: 10.1002/hep.30315


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  • (Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Saturday November 17 2018, @08:07AM (2 children)

    by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Saturday November 17 2018, @08:07AM (#762996) Homepage Journal

    It gets pretty cold in the Rockies and the Left Coast mountains. That would enable one to separate the effect of temperature from that of high altitude

    Also much of eastern Washington and Oregon are deserts. It gets cold there but not very cloudy

    --
    Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @08:13AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @08:13AM (#762997)

      What about those who live in Da Nile?

    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday November 17 2018, @11:15AM

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday November 17 2018, @11:15AM (#763041) Journal

      pretty cold in the Rockies and the Left Coast mountains.

      You won't win "understatement of the year" with that one. But, it is an understatement. Weather conditions above 5000 feet are always more severe than down in the lowlands.

  • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Saturday November 17 2018, @08:37AM (3 children)

    by MostCynical (2589) on Saturday November 17 2018, @08:37AM (#763000) Journal

    I live with a family. I don't drink as much as I probably would be expected to, by anyone who'd met them.
    But it is mostly sunny here, so maybe it is the people i know who drink alot who are the outliers.

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
    • (Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @08:48AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @08:48AM (#763001)

      His lower part growled. It was no surprise, because he hadn't had a snack all day. The man then remembered that they had these new, convenient machines that would dispense snacks, and so he traveled to the nearest one.

      After he arrived, the man used the touchscreen to go through all of the available options the machine had to offer, and then finally made his choice. A snack came tumbling out of the large machine, which he promptly grabbed. Not able to contain himself, he began immediately. His violence surprised even himself.

      The child screamed and screamed and screamed some more. However, the man heard only a pleasant song, and continued to slam his fat cock deep into the little girl's anus. As he did this, he made small cuts all over her body with a pocket knife, and even snapped some of her fingers. The song became louder and more beautiful as time went on. But, it wasn't enough to satisfy his lust.

      He needed more. More, more, more! The man's violence reached levels hitherto unseen, far surpassing that which the term "brutality" could accurately describe. Her face, beaten. Her bones, broken. Her skin, slashed. Her genitals, mutilated. Her motion, silent. The little girl slumped to the ground in the face of pure, seething violence, never to engage in motion again. But, it wasn't enough to satisfy his lust.

      The man turned to face The Child Dispenser. Then, he uttered one word: "More..."

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @11:04AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @11:04AM (#763035)

        In the spirit of the upcoming holidays, I'd like to wish a gift on you. Some woman in your life should find your computer unlocked, and browse through your "stories". Then, she should share what she finds with all the other women in your life. I don't know about burning in hell, but those women would almost certainly make the rest of your life hell.

        • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @02:01PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @02:01PM (#763086)

          Yeah, his mom is gonna cut off the Cheetohs and unplug the router after 9PM.

  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday November 17 2018, @11:07AM (1 child)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday November 17 2018, @11:07AM (#763037) Journal

    Drinking also is linked to depression, which tends to be worse when sunlight is scarce and there's a chill in the air.

    Seems they are trying to attribute the same observed phenomena to multiple causes. Or, maybe it's more likely that lack of sunshine and being cold lead to depression, and then the depression leads to drinking excessively. It seems odd, the way they stated that.

  • (Score: 2) by Username on Saturday November 17 2018, @11:52AM (1 child)

    by Username (4557) on Saturday November 17 2018, @11:52AM (#763054)

    The Russians are behind the alcoholism in Wisconsin! Tony Evers is colluding with Putin! Recall Evers! Not our governor!

  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by fraxinus-tree on Saturday November 17 2018, @12:29PM (3 children)

    by fraxinus-tree (5590) on Saturday November 17 2018, @12:29PM (#763066)

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_belts_of_Europe [wikipedia.org] - and yes, Swedes and Finns drink more than Germans, who in turn drink more than Italians and Greeks. Known for sure, for at least 2000 years.

    • (Score: 2) by bobthecimmerian on Saturday November 17 2018, @02:25PM (2 children)

      by bobthecimmerian (6834) on Saturday November 17 2018, @02:25PM (#763095)

      The wikipedia page you linked doesn't back up your assertion, it just states that traditionally wines are associated with southern Europe, beer with middle Europe, and hard liquor with northern Europe. It doesn't have statistics for volume, except for one claim without evidence that Russian consumption of beer is 67 liters per capita per year.

      With respect to depression, if not alcohol consumption, my wife and I have poorer moods and lower energy levels in the winter months. We've talked of moving south, but almost all of our friends and family are within a few hours of here.

      • (Score: 2) by fraxinus-tree on Saturday November 17 2018, @03:42PM

        by fraxinus-tree (5590) on Saturday November 17 2018, @03:42PM (#763127)

        I agree, wiki page has remote connection to my statement. Drinking different drinks with different alcohol content and different social aura results in getting different average alcohol intake. An average Finn drinks as much (in volume) vodka as an average Greek drinks wine. The net result is not surprising.

        As for moving south, it is harder in Europe. At least, we speak about 20 completely different languages and most people don't bother learning a different one. So use your luck

      • (Score: 2) by fritsd on Saturday November 17 2018, @05:07PM

        by fritsd (4586) on Saturday November 17 2018, @05:07PM (#763147) Journal

        it just states that traditionally wines are associated with southern Europe, beer with middle Europe, and hard liquor with northern Europe.

        About a hundred years ago, the Swedish apple-ologists made a detailed microclimate map of Sweden: Sweden microclimate zone map [tradgard.org].
        The pomologues divided the country in climate zones. So that they had good answers to "can I grow an apple tree of race X in my garden, or will it probably be too cold?". For example in klimatzon 4-5 you can still grow most vegetables, but it's not guaranteed that your paprikas, beans, pumpkins and cherries have time to ripen (so don't bother with those).
        Swedes are very big on potatoes, carrots, parsnips and (of course) swedes instead.

        I thought that barley (what beer gets made from) doesn't grow as well above climate zone 2.
        So I checked, and I was totally wrong! (learn something new every day on the Internet)
        Even in Norrbotten (klimatzon 6-8 , probably not on the subarctic mountains) it grows apparently?!?

        So then I don't actually know why northern Europeans prefer hard liquor over beer.
        Although Zubrowka vodka is nice, I guess.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @01:35PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @01:35PM (#763079)

    Our dear EthanolFueled lives in sunny, warm San Diego.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @06:49PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @06:49PM (#763174)

      If he still lives you mean. I haven't noticed him around for a few months.

  • (Score: 2) by VLM on Saturday November 17 2018, @02:43PM

    by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Saturday November 17 2018, @02:43PM (#763099)

    In Siberia that could be pleasant, but not so much in the Sahara.

    I visited Alabama in the summer a couple decades ago and yes the sweating at the time is obnoxious, but the real pain is the extreme dehydration enhanced hangover the next morning, like nothing you could ever experience up north.

    My theoretical model would be a reverse of the presentation using the same data, describing "indoor people" and "outdoor northerners in the summer" as the normal (admittedly heavy) consumers, its the climate resulting in hangovers that's depressing consumption outside in warm areas.

  • (Score: 2) by VLM on Saturday November 17 2018, @02:51PM

    by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Saturday November 17 2018, @02:51PM (#763104)

    Another interesting theory, alcohol is a source of carb calories and insulin issues and is quite fattening. Possibly the focus is wrong in that cold people have an instinctual desire to consume shittons of carbs (alcohol and other junk food) because that gorging instinct kept their ancestors alive in the past, but makes them fat drunks now.

    Your skin is cold, time to pig the heck out. I live in a northern recreational state and you tailgate or hike or snowshoe and magically you have small little people demand they must eat four brats and a family sized serving of sides all by themselves and a six pack of beer representing around 3000 calories because they burned 500 calories going sledding. Now the carb calories make them fat, but what the study noticed is the six pack made them drunkards.

    I find one crisp cold beer to be quite satisfying after mowing an acre of lawn in the summer. Now you take neighbors to a tailgate at a sportsball stadium and if its below 40F they shiver and demand they have to drink a case of beer to keep warm while sitting around doing nothing.

    I suspect for secondary reasons combined with low willpower that cold skin is quite a health hazard.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @06:33PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @06:33PM (#763168)

    Does this mean we can link all alcohol-linked mortality and morbidity to climate change now? It would be a great boon for alcohol research to be able to put that in the first sentence of every paper.

  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @10:50PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 17 2018, @10:50PM (#763237)

    Why is a journal about snakes publishing a report on drinking, and why didn't peer review catch the fact that inclusion of Finland skewed the dataset beyond repair?

  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Sunday November 18 2018, @12:49AM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Sunday November 18 2018, @12:49AM (#763274) Journal

    I have never been to the South Pacific, but i'm told they drink all day, every day out of sheer lack of anything else to do.

    Maybe that would be a fruitful variable to examine in a follow-up study: the relative variety of leisure alternatives.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
  • (Score: 2) by jb on Sunday November 18 2018, @03:49AM

    by jb (338) on Sunday November 18 2018, @03:49AM (#763340)

    Here in the "sunburnt country", I'm told we drink more per capita than almost anywhere else in the world (last survey I remember, Australia ranked 3rd or 4th in the world for boozing).

    Most of Australia counts as "warm weather; more sunlight" climate. Even Tasmania (especially its NW coast) gets quite hot in summer time.

    We drink because it's hot ... and, perhaps somewhat perversely, in winter we drink because we miss the heat.

    ...so drinking can increase feelings of warmth. In Siberia that could be pleasant, but not so much in the Sahara.

    Well, I've never been to the Sahara, but I can tell you that drinking beer feels damn good out on the Nullarbor, or on the Mallee or the Hay Plains, or in any of our deserts I can recall (Big, Little & Simpson) and is almost a pre-requisite for coping with the stifling humidity of Queensland in summer!

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