Distillation of knowledge for effective alcohol policy making

Abstract

Alcohol consumption is one of the most debated risk factors for disease, while at the same time it is almost impossible to imagine a world without it. Alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk for several diseases, for which each glass of alcohol increases your disease risk. However, the alleged beneficial association between moderate alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease has not yet been fully clarified.

Both conducting alcohol research and implementing alcohol policy come with challenges. The thesis titled "Distillation of knowledge for effective alcohol policy making" presents research in both areas. First, we investigated how alcohol research can be further improved: with the biomarker ethyl glucuronide as a more objective measure of alcohol consumption, and with the relatively new study design called Mendelian randomization. Both provide opportunities for future alcohol research. In the second part we examined the current performance of alcohol policy by assessing adherence to current alcohol consumption guidelines in Europe and South America.

When is the scientific knowledge on alcohol sufficient to distill alcohol policy from it? This question we try to answer in the last part of this thesis. Based on the current scientific evidence – the best evidence we have so far - we conclude that there is sufficient ground for better implementation of population-wide strategies globally to reduce alcohol use. Science will continue to play an important role in this respect in continually re-evaluating the effectiveness and necessity of the implemented alcohol policy.