The autumn/winter season leads to a general relaxation from the food point of view:we no longer count calories, largely because hearty meals warm the body – and also the heart! – and help to cope with falling temperatures. But food is not the only area where we let ourselves go:our alcohol consumption is also increasing, while the days that are getting shorter are the perfect excuse to start aperitifs earlier ("bah what, it night? The party can begin, right?"). A study carried out by the Pittsburgh Research Center in the United States, which specializes in liver disease, has indeed established a link between the outside temperature, the hours of daylight and the consumption of alcohol. The findings, published in the Hepatology Journal , were established using data from 193 countries and clearly show that colder climates lead to a higher tendency to binge-drink (drink to intoxication) and more frequent liver diseases. “This is a phenomenon that has been suspected for centuries, but no one has yet scientifically demonstrated it says Dr. Ramon Bataller, professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. The researchers also relied on information provided by the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization.
So how can this habit, which is certainly comforting but which is nonetheless dangerous, be explained? Mainly by the very pleasant feeling of heat created by alcohol, which acts as a vasodilator. This means that it relaxes blood vessels and stimulates the circulation of warm blood in the body. Indulging in glasses of wine in front of the TV after a day of work or a round of beers in a bar with friends therefore helps to warm up; but said increase in alcohol consumption may also be due to a feeling of depression caused by the very short days and the cold. The undisputed champions in terms of binge-driking are the Belarusians, who hardly see the sun between November and February and who consume some 17.5 liters of alcohol per head per year. “Knowing that cold regions have a higher rate of alcohol-related problems can be useful in establishing more appropriate policies. If you have a genetic predisposition to alcohol abuse, then it is best to avoid very cold areas concludes Dr. Bataller. As the holiday season begins, we are therefore careful to keep a light hand on Beaujolais and mulled wine... And we invest in a stove, it's less risky!
