Invited Commentary Invited Commentary: Is Alcohol a Risk Factor for Trauma and Chronic Disease Mortality? Narrowing the Gap Between Evidence and Action

Alcohol has been linked with over 60 chronic diseases and types of trauma, and in developed countries alcohol consumption is ranked third in terms of disability-adjusted life years (of 26 risk factors considered). In this issue of the Journal, two papers from Finland and Canada provide new evidence of the negative effects of alcohol consumption on trauma and mortality. Herttua et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2008;168(10):1110–1118) used data from a natural experiment involving an increase in access to alcohol and its links to mortality; they offer provocative findings on differential impacts by gender, age, and socioeconomic level. Taylor et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2008;168(10):1119–1125) focused on lifetime risk of alcohol-related injury mortality, exploring the implications for high-risk drinking patterns. These authors offer agendas for future research on the differential impacts of policy changes according to demographic dimensions, and they highlight the need for a refined measurement of alcohol intake—since the amount of alcohol in a ‘‘standard drink’’ consumed by heavier drinkers is probably not the same as it is for other consumers. There is still a substantial gap between alcohol’s position as a significant contributor to mortality and disability and the implementation of effective interventions.