Mexico’s alcohol consumption patterns and their population-level health effects have received little scholarly attention, despite alcohol consumption’s status as a major risk factor for myriad health endpoints. In a notable contribution to this small body of work, Trichia and colleagues published one of the first large-scale prospective studies on the impact of alcohol on public health in the Mexican population in The Lancet Public Health (2024).
The study, which tracked consumption patterns and alcohol-associated mortality among residents of Mexico City, found a significant association between drinking and all-cause mortality. GlobalData epidemiologists project that 12-month total prevalent cases of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in Mexico will increase from 2,309,000 to 2,420,000 between 2024 and 2028. The growing burden of alcohol abuse signals a need for further attention to its impact on Mexico, as well as further allocation of public health resources and policy initiatives to advocate for healthy consumption.
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Between 1998 and 2004, Trichia and colleagues recruited 147,893 participants between the ages of 35 and 74 in the greater Mexico City area to participate in the Mexico City Prospective Study. Participants provided baseline health and behavioural information at the study’s outset, with individuals suffering from chronic conditions omitted from the analysis. Among alcohol consumption-related questions were the frequency with which participants consumed alcohol, the quantity consumed when drinking and the type of alcohol normally consumed.
Heavy drinkers’ mortality rates triple those of lighter drinkers
Baseline health behaviors were cross-referenced with death records generated throughout the study period, which included cause of death information that the authors could code as alcohol-related. At the study’s conclusion, results showed a slightly higher all-cause mortality rate among regular drinkers at 107.07 deaths per 1,000 population compared to 97.84 among individuals who did not drink. Among regular drinkers, higher levels of consumption showed a strong correlation with mortality. Compared to individuals drinking less than 70 grams per week (one drink contains approximately 14 grams of pure alcohol), with a mortality rate of 85.58 per 1,000 population compared with 169.57 among those drinking 210 grams or more per week (Figure 1). Alcohol-related mortality followed an even starker trend, with the mortality rate among the heaviest drinkers more than triple that of light drinkers (Figure 2).
The findings from Trichia and colleagues’ study show a positive relationship between alcohol consumption and mortality, particularly for alcohol-related causes of death. Against the backdrop of a higher prevalence of AUD, these findings take on an urgent role in the prevention of premature death among consumers. In recent years, civil society has attempted to broach this public health issue through proposals to curb consumption, including higher alcohol taxation from its current 16% value-added tax, as well as communication campaigns to delay consumption in adolescents and young adults. Such initiatives present an opportunity for the nascent administration of President Claudia Scheinbaum to confront a mounting public health challenge. In the absence of policy solutions, it remains imperative to dedicate further research into alcohol consumption’s health impacts on the Mexican population to bolster a case for comprehensive action.
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