News
- Survey shows post-pandemic increase in drinking for some
- Scottish Government commit to further plans to restrict alcohol marketing
- Challenge and Change: Rod Anderson
- Parliament must come together to renew and reinvigorate MUP
- A responsible drinking campaign that features cocktail recipes
- Unacceptable rise in alcohol-specific deaths
- Health experts share concerns about complaint made on MUP evaluation
- Decline in alcohol treatment in Scotland
- Challenge and Change: Lived Experience Voices on Alcohol Marketing
- Blog post for Alcohol Awareness Week 2023
- Final verdict on MUP
- Alcohol and diabetes
- Doctors say lack of response on alcohol deaths could spell disaster for Scotland
- MUP reduces deaths and hospital admissions
- Alcohol hospital admissions continue to be too high
- Lessons learned from countries with marketing restrictions
- What is the effect of alcohol marketing on people with or at risk of an alcohol problem?
- ONS figures show highest alcohol deaths on record
- MUP and alcohol sales
- Scottish Government launches alcohol marketing consultation
- MUP and alcohol products and prices
- Scottish Health Survey 2021
- New licensing policy review guide
- Slight increase in alcohol-specific deaths
- Health campaigners call on Scottish Government to regulate alcohol packaging
- Scottish charity calls for ban on all alcohol promotion
- New NCD Prevention Report - Mapping Future Harm
- Online Alcohol Sales & Deliveries: A survey of young people in Scotland
- Four years of MUP
- Prominent health warnings make drinking “unappealing”
- Insights from People in Recovery
- Meet our Engagement Team Marc
- Meet our Engagement Team Megan
- Report on alcohol sales and harm in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Sugar content in wine revealed
- Alcohol hospital admissions lower during pandemic
- Study reveals those already at risk from heavy drinking bought more alcohol during lockdowns
- Alcohol policy measures could reduce ambulance callouts
- 18.6% increase in deaths from alcohol in 2020
- Widespread support for calls to increase minimum unit price for alcohol to 65p
- Students as Change Agents
- Health charities call for action to save lives from Scotlands biggest killers
- Three quarters of Scots back new controls to help protect children from alcohol advertising
- Alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland increase
- More accurate estimates for the burden of Alcohol on the Ambulance Service: around 1 in 6 callouts in Scotland are alcohol related
- How can alcohol labels be improved to help people make informed consumption choices
- Health experts call for better alcohol labelling
- Young people and their views on alcohol marketing
- Lowest alcohol sales in Scotland for 26 years
- Minimum unit pricing has lasting impact study shows
- Euros renews call for action to protect children from alcohol sports sponsorship
- Current alcohol labelling of little relevance to young adult drinkers
- Governments should step up efforts to tackle harmful alcohol consumption
- Scottish public and leading health experts back changes to alcohol labelling
- AFS calls for 65p minimum unit price for alcohol
- How will the main parties prevent harm from alcohol?
- Alcohol labelling reform is way past its sell by date
- Alcohol policy priorities for the next parliament
- Young drinkers believe prominent health warnings on alcohol could boost risk awareness
- Alcohol and the Workplace Effective Interventions
- Alcohol sales and consumption in Scotland during the pandemic
- How can we prevent alcohol deaths?
- Alcohol Deaths and Minimum Unit Pricing
- YoungScot Health Panel report on alcohol marketing and harm
- Young Scots show support for restrictions on alcohol marketing
- New release of alcohol related hospital admissions
- Better alcohol labelling – A way to boost awareness of the risk between alcohol and cancer?
- NICE Guidelines on FASD Surveillance or Support?
- Alcohol Deaths Prevention Support
- Almost half of Scots in favour of minimum unit pricing
- Leading health charities call for action in Scotland
- Health experts campaign for better understanding of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
- Health experts call for alcohol labelling overhaul
- Australian ministers agree to visible pregnancy warning
- Alcohol Focus Scotland welcomes new WHO report on alcohol pricing
- Survey shows Scots lockdown drinking rise caused by stress
- Statistical analysis of off-trade alcohol sales in the year following MUP
- Alcohol Focus Scotland Review of statements of licensing policy 2018 to 2023
- We need to continue long-term focus on alcohol
- Scots report changing drinking patterns during coronavirus lockdown
- Time to Blow the Whistle on Alcohol Sport Sponsorship
- New evidence demonstrates that alcohol ads lead to youth drinking
- Alcohol sales fall in first year of MUP
- First study published into under 18 drinkers post MUP
- Commission on Alcohol Harm calls for evidence
- Two years on Are annual functions reports reaching their potential?
- We need to do more to protect our children and young people
- New Alcohol Deaths Prevention Support Now Available from AFS
- Scottish primary children call for action on alcohol
- Its time to tell us whats in our drinks
- A home for Rory
- Making a bad impression - blog post
- Alcohol marketing and children debate in the Scottish Parliament
- Alcohol sales and MUP
- Lowest alcohol sales in 25 years
- Research into fall in violence
- The Children's Parliament investigates an alcohol-free childhood
- Minimum unit pricing one year on
- More about sales data
- A family of resources it is all about prevention, education and resilience
- AFS publish Review of Licensing Board Annual Functions Reports 2017-2018
- Marketing unmasked dispelling the myths and taking a stand
- No place for alcohol marketing in sport
- Scotland publishes first UK guidelines for diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)
- The Alcohol Framework 2018 Preventing Harm
- Scotlands new drug and alcohol strategy launched
- AFS welcome new alcohol strategy
- Recent reporting on alcohol sales data
- Diageo is failing to provide latest guidelines on their products
- Drinks companies keeping consumers in dark about risky drinking
- Reducing alcohol consumption can address health inequalities
- Global first alcohol policy set to save hundreds of Scots' lives
- AFS welcomes minimum unit pricing for alcohol
- Truer picture of alcohol harm revealed
- Alcohol causes 3,700 deaths in Scotland every year
- Scotland's licensing system needs clearer direction
- Minimum pricing blog
- Minimum pricing gets green light
- Alcohol brands and young people
- Time for honest conversations about alcohol
- Q&A on alcohol marketing
- UK children anxious about parents' drinking
- Alcohol producers failing to inform public
- Concern over alcohol-related deaths
- We need to make it easier for people to drink less
- Worrying rise in alcohol-related deaths
- Minimum pricing will save lives
- Pocket money prices for alcohol continue
- Scotland's alcohol problem laid bare
- Cheap alcohol is costing Scotland dear
- One drink a day can increase breast cancer risk
- Poverty linked to increased harm from alcohol
- What next for reducing alcohol harm in Scotland?
- Scotland must do more to turn tide of alcohol harm
- Concern as funding for alcohol services cut
- Scottish Government urged to curb alcohol marketing
- Consumers have the right to know health risks
- Alcohol-free childhood is healthiest option
- SWA granted leave to appeal minimum pricing
- SWA will appeal to UK Supreme Court
- SWA urged to respect minimum pricing decision
- Minimum pricing can be implemented in Scotland
- Emergency services face shocking levels of alcohol abuse
- Every child has the right to grow up safe from alcohol harm
- Minimum pricing - European court ruling
Alcohol and diabetes: a guest blog post from Diabetes Scotland
The relationship between alcohol consumption and diabetes is complex and our understanding of it is still evolving. We do know that people who drink heavily are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who drink moderately,[1],[2],[3],[4] partly (but not only) due to the contribution alcohol can make to overweight and obesity.[5] So at Diabetes Scotland we’re supporting Alcohol Focus Scotland’s mission to reduce alcohol-related harms, understanding that type 2 diabetes, alcohol problems and obesity are all part of a wider public health challenge which can’t be tackled in isolation.
Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition where the insulin your pancreas makes doesn’t work properly, or you don’t make enough insulin, leading to a build-up of glucose (sugar) in your blood.[6] Managing type 2 diabetes can be a huge mental burden[7] as it usually involves a combination of diet, exercise, tablets, and sometimes insulin injections. Diabetes also carries a risk of long-term complications including stroke, sight loss and kidney damage.[8] Just like developing problems with alcohol or living with obesity, type 2 diabetes is not inevitable. It is influenced by environmental and genetic factors and can be preventable.[9] But this also means that it is often highly stigmatised, becoming a source of shame and guilt for some people.[10]
This isn’t right – no one should be made to feel like issues with their health are their fault. Rather, we need to recognise that these are entrenched social issues requiring population-wide action. The numbers make this clear: with around 300,000 people living with type 2 diabetes in Scotland,[11] a further 620,000 at risk of type 2 diabetes,[12] almost a quarter of the population drinking hazardous or harmful amounts of alcohol each week[13] and two thirds living with overweight or obesity,[14] we know that this isn’t simply a question of individual choice.
A large part of the problem is poverty and inequality. We all know that we’re still deep in a cost-of-living crisis, with inequalities between the richest and poorest people remaining far too wide.[15] It’s no coincidence that type 2 diabetes and alcohol-related harms are both more prevalent in the most deprived areas of Scotland than in the least deprived areas,9,[16],[17] while there’s often a greater density of alcohol and fast food retailers in more deprived areas,[18] and healthy food is on average around three times more expensive than unhealthy food.[19] Minimum Unit Pricing has helped by removing the cheapest alcohol from shelves, saving around 150 lives per year since its introduction,[20] but the 50p/unit minimum hasn’t changed since 2012 and we agree with Alcohol Focus Scotland’s call for a new 65p minimum.
The food and drink environment is currently skewed towards health-harming products. That’s why we support measures to tackle the problem at its source. This March, we responded to a Scottish Government consultation[21] voicing our support for a comprehensive ban on alcohol advertising and promotions, as recommended by the Alcohol Marketing Expert Network[22] and the World Health Organisation.[23] Now, with the new First Minister Humza Yousaf MSP in post, we’re calling on him to take forward these restrictions to the fullest extent possible.
As the former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, he will recognise the importance of tackling both alcohol-related harms and the rising rates of type 2 diabetes in Scotland. We would urge him to take every opportunity he has in his new role to support whole system approaches to these issues, considering social and commercial factors as a crucial part of the equation. If we’re serious about protecting Scotland’s health, we need to take action where it counts.
8 June 2023
[1] Howard, A. A., Arnsten, J. H., Gourevitch, M. N. (2004) Effect of Alcohol Consumption on Diabetes Mellitus: a Systematic Review. Annals of Internal Medicine, 140(3), 211–19. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-140-6-200403160-00011.
[2] Lai, Y.-J., Hu, H.-Y., Lee, Y.-L., Ko, M.-C., Ku, P.-W., Yen, Y.-F., Chu, D. (2019) Frequency of alcohol consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A nationwide cohort study. Clinical Nutrition, 38(3), 1368–1372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2018.06.930
[3] Knott, C., Bell, S., Britton, A. (2015) Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-analysis of More Than 1.9 Million Individuals From 38 Observational Studies. Diabetes Care, 38 (9), 1804–1812. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc15-0710.
[4] Twenefour, D., Dyson, P. (2018) Evidence-based nutrition guidelines for the prevention and management of diabetes. Diabetes UK.
[5] Golzarand, M., Salari-Moghaddam, A., Mirmiran, P. (2022) Association between alcohol intake and overweight and obesity: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 127 observational studies. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 62(29), 8078-8098. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.1925221.
[6] Diabetes UK (2023) Type 2 Diabetes. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-the-basics/types-of-diabetes/type-2
[7] Diabetes UK (2023) Emotional and mental health support is too often missing. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/get_involved/campaigning/emotional-wellbeing
[8] Diabetes UK (2023) Complications of Diabetes. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications
[9] Diabetes UK (2022) Prevention of Type 2 diabetes & Gestational diabetes by addressing the root causes of ill health. Position statement: October 2022. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/professionals/position-statements-reports/type-2-diabetes-prevention-early-identification/prevention-of-type-2-diabetes-whole-society-interventions-to-address-root-causes-ill-health
[10] Diabetes UK (2023) Advancing research into diabetes-related stigma. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/research/for-researchers/apply-for-a-grant/diabetes-stigma-research
[11] Scottish Diabetes Group (2023) Scottish Diabetes Survey 2021. https://www.diabetesinscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Diabetes-Scottish-Diabetes-Survey-2021-final-version.pdf.
[12] NHS Research Scotland (2023) Diabetes. https://www.nhsresearchscotland.org.uk/research-areas/diabetes.
[13] Public Health Scotland (2021) Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy (MESAS). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/media/8090/mesas-monitoring-report-2021.pdf.
[14] Hinchliffe, S., Wilson, V. (eds) (2021) The Scottish Health Survey 2021 - volume 1: main report. https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-health-survey-2021-volume-1-main-report/documents/.
[15] Finch, D., Wilson, H., Bibby, J. (2023) Leave no one behind: The state of health and health inequalities in Scotland. The Health Foundation. https://doi.org/10.37829/HF-2023-HL01.
[16] National Records of Scotland (2022) Alcohol-specific deaths. https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/alcohol-deaths.
[17] Public Health Scotland (2023) Alcohol related hospital statistics. https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/alcohol-related-hospital-statistics/alcohol-related-hospital-statistics-scotland-financial-year-2021-to-2022/.
[18] Macdonald, L., Olsen, J. R., Shortt, N. K., Ellaway, A. (2018) Do ‘environmental bads’ such as alcohol, fast food, tobacco, and gambling outlets cluster and co-located in more deprived areas in Glasgow City, Scotland? Health & Place, 51, 224-231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2018.04.008.
[19] The Food Foundation (2022) The Broken Plate 2022: The State of the Nation’s Food System. https://foodfoundation.org.uk/publication/broken-plate-2022.
[20] Wyper, G. M. A., Mackay, D. F., Fraser, C., Lewsey, J., Robinson, M., Beeston, C., Giles, L. (2023) Evaluating the impact of alcohol minimum unit pricing on deaths and hospitalisations in Scotland: a controlled interrupted time series study. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00497-X.
[21] Scottish Government (2023) Alcohol advertising and promotion. https://consult.gov.scot/alcohol-policy/alcohol-advertising-and-promotion/.
[22] Alcohol Focus Scotland (2022) Realising our rights: How to protect people from alcohol marketing. A report by the Alcohol Marketing Expert Network. /media/440172/alcoholmarketingreport2806.pdf.
[23] World Health Organization (2019) The SAFER technical package: five areas of intervention at national and subnational levels. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241516419.