On Thursday 12 June, the ‘European Heart Network’ (EHN) published a report highlighting the urgent need for stronger policies to protect people’s cardiovascular health in relation to alcohol consumption.
According to the EHN, research confirms that, even at low doses, alcohol consumption increases the risk of cardiovascular pathologies (hypertension, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke).
Europe has one of the highest alcohol consumption rates in the world, and ‘binge drinking’ is particularly widespread among young people.
In the light of these findings, the EHN is calling on European decision-makers to adopt an ambitious set of measures:
- introduce compulsory nutritional labelling (energy value and list of ingredients) on all alcoholic products; - add EU-wide health warnings on alcoholic products; - increase excise duty on alcohol; - set a harmonised minimum legal age of 18 for the purchase and consumption of alcohol, both online and at points of sale; - ban the marketing of alcohol to children and young people; - abolish European subsidies for alcohol production and by-products.
Further details: https://aeur.eu/f/ha6 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)