Speakers
Dr. Regina Ching
Dr Regina Ching is the Honorary Secretary for the Hong Kong Alliance for Advocacy Against Alcohol which was set up in 2015 under the Hong Kong College of Community Medicine. The objectives of the Alliance are to inform and educate the public of the health, social and economic burden of alcohol consumption, to advocate for effective, evidence-based policies and actions to reduce alcohol related harm, and to monitor the marketing practices of the alcohol industry, especially those aimed at youth. The Alliance bases its work on scientific evidence and works independently of the Government. It comprises members from the academic, medical and health, social and educational sectors.
Dr Ching had worked in the public service for over 30 years. Her experience included primary care, clinical medicine, elderly care policy making, health administration and planning, hospital licensing, health service administration, health promotion and education, programmes and advisory role in non-communicable disease prevention, and introduction of the territory-wide colorectal cancer screening programme.
Abstract
Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health: is it Good or Bad ?
Early findings of the J-shaped relationship between very low levels of drinking and all-cause mortality sparked excitement and fueled epidemiological research. Limited by bias, confounding and difficulties with assuring data quality, observational studies which are less well designed and controlled, run the risk of data collection bias, incorrect data analysis and interpretation, leading to wrong conclusions being drawn consistently. High-quality systematic reviews of participants’ individual data aimed at eliminating biases and adjusting for covariates showed that any level of drinking is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. More recently, Mendelian randomisation studies have been used to investigate the potential causal relations between alcohol use and health outcomes, bridging the gap between observational and experimental studies. By making use of genetic information that is causally linked to drinking amount, it is no longer necessary to rely on the subject’s self-reported drinking history which is the main source of bias. Mendelian randomisation studies, too, refuted the cardioprotective effect of drinking.
Despite decades of epidemiological research that does not support a causal relationship between alcohol use and benefits to heart health, the alcohol industry has been quick and smart in bending science and mispresenting information, all for putting profit before people. Alcohol is the only toxic and psychoactive substance with dependence producing properties that is not regulated at international, regional, and local levels. It causes liver, colon, breast and four other cancers, and is causally linked to 200 health and injury conditions, some affecting the drinker and many resulting in harm to others, the cost of which has been grossly underestimated. Alcohol use creates more than a health issue, but one with huge social, economic and justice dimensions. Overall burden attributable to alcohol consumption is unacceptably high. Health professionals should recognize no level of alcohol use is safe, stay clear of alcohol industry influence and advocate for stronger government efforts to raise alcohol tax, reduce alcohol availability and ban alcohol marketing.