Study links cold climates with heavy drinking

A new study suggests people living in cold climates with less sunlight are more likely to drink heavily.

The US research establishes a link between averagetemperatureandhours of sunlight and alcohol consumption. Examining data from 193 countries, the group found evidence that climate contributed to a higher incidence of binge drinking and liver disease.

The study, published online in Hepatology, used datafromtheworldhealth Organisation (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organisation. Evidence of the climate link comes as the WHO presents new data on alcohol consumption in Europe at a summit in Edinburgh on Monday.

It says that almost half of the adult male population are at risk of both short and long-term health and social problems due to harmful drinking patterns.