Poor people likely to die from alcohol despite drinking less than the rich

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January 3, 2018 12:22 PM

People of lower class are at a higher risk of worse heart related diseases as compared to those of a higher class

A new study has revealed that poor people are more likely to die from alcohol consumption as compared to the rich.

According to the study published in PLOS Medicine, frequent consumption of alcohol, about 4-7 times a week, is linked to an increase in heart disease for people of the lowest socioeconomic classes.

The research team from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, discovered that the participants from lower socioeconomic classes drank less as compared to the wealthier socioeconomic classes but still experienced alcohol related health issues and worse yet death.

“Although a number of previous studies have found according to results from our study, this seems to be mostly the case among people with more advantaged socioeconomic position,” said lead author of the study Dr Oyvind Naess.

Information was gathered from more than 200,000 participants of the study between the years of 1960 and 1990.

The participants’ socioeconomic status was classified as either high, middle or low and was based on indicators such as their household income and education.

Findings of the study revealed that moderate drinking, which the researchers interpreted to be between once a month and once a week, decreased one’s chances of heart disease.

42 percent of cardiovascular related deaths occurred among frequent drinkers specifically those of lower socioeconomic status as compared to moderate frequent drinkers of higher socioeconomic status where 33 percent of deaths occurred.

Binge drinking also played a factor in determining the findings of the research.

More than 8000 deaths occurred during the course of the study – they were all due to cardiovascular diseases.

According to the study, unknown factors such as unhealthy eating habits, violence or accidents could also contribute to the high risk factors among poor people.

Source: CNN