Scientists Have Found Out Why In Russia And The State Of Wisconsin They Drink A Lot And Suffer From Cirrhosis

Scientists have found out why in Russia and the state of Wisconsin they drink a lot and suffer from cirrhosis

Where you live can influence how much alcohol you drink. People living in relatively colder regions with less sunlight drink more alcohol, according to new research by the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Gastroenterology.

William Holbrk Beard "The Drunken Bear". Photo: Wikimedia Commons /

Where you live can influence how much alcohol you drink. People living in relatively colder regions with less sunlight drink more alcohol, according to new research by the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Gastroenterology.

A study recently published in the journal Hepatology showed that as temperatures and sunlight decrease, alcohol consumption increases. Climate factors have also been linked to alcohol abuse and the prevalence of alcohol-related liver disease, one of the leading causes of death in long-term and over-drinking patients.

“Many have assumed that this is so, but no one has yet brought the scientific basis for this. Why do they drink so much in Russia? Why do people drink a lot in Wisconsin? Everyone thinks it's because it's cold there. But we could not find a single document or study linking the climate to alcohol abuse or alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. This is the first study to show that around the world, and in America in particular, in colder regions and regions with less sunlight, alcohol is consumed more and, accordingly, cirrhosis of the liver is more common,”says study lead author Raymon Bataller. (Ramon Bataller).

Alcohol is a vasodilator - it increases the flow of warm blood to the surface of the skin, which has many temperature sensors, so drinking alcohol can increase the feeling of warmth. In Siberia, it may be a pleasant feeling, but not in the Sahara Desert.

Alcohol consumption has also been found to be associated with depression, which tends to increase as the amount of sunlight decreases and the cold weather increases.

Using data from the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization and other databases, Bataller's team found a clear negative correlation between climatic factors (average temperature and sun exposure time) and alcohol consumption. Scientists took into account total alcohol consumption per capita, the percentage of the population who drink alcohol and the frequency of alcohol abuse.

The researchers also found evidence that climate contributes to an increased prevalence of cirrhosis. These trends were seen both when comparing different countries of the world and when comparing between counties in the United States.

“It is important to emphasize that there are many factors that distort the results. We have tried our best to take these factors into account, such as religion and how it affects drinking,”says study lead author Meritxell Ventura-Cots of the Pittsburgh Liver Research Center.

Since most Arabs living in desert regions do not drink alcohol, it was important to check whether this trend continues with the exclusion of Muslim countries. Likewise, Utah has regulations that limit alcohol consumption, which must also be taken into account.

When analyzing the prevalence of cirrhosis, researchers also had to consider factors that can exacerbate the effects of alcohol on the liver - viral hepatitis, obesity, and smoking.

The study also suggests that various policy initiatives to reduce alcoholism and cirrhosis prevalence should focus on specific geographic areas where alcohol use is most severe.