'Poehali!' Why Russian Men are Losing Years to Drinking

If you're Russian, you may have been branded with the stereotype that you love Vodka. And unfortunately, according to a recent study, there seems to be some truth to this.

According to lead study author Sir Richard Peto of Oxford University, via The Guardian, "Russians clearly drink a lot but it's this pattern of getting really smashed on vodka and then continuing to drink that is dangerous."

Researchers examined information from 151,000 adult men in the Russian cities of Barnaul, Tomsk and Byisk from 1999 to 2010. All of the participants were later followed-up with regarding their drinking habits. Statistics showed that approximately 8,000 of them had died by this time.

According to researchers, the risk of dying before the age of 55 dramatically increased for those who drank more half-litre bottles of vodka a week by up to 35 percent.  

Statistics show that the life expectancy for men in Russia is around 64 years, with over a quarter of Russian men dying before the age of 55. Compared to the United States, less than 1 percent are at a risk for dying at that age.

"The rate of men dying prematurely in Russia is totally out of line with the rest of Europe," he said, via the news organization. "There's also a heavy drinking culture in Finland and Poland but they still have nothing like Russia's risk of death."

At the end of their findings, the authors state how "their study strongly reinforces evidence that vodka is a major cause of the high risk of premature death in Russian adults."

Causes of death related to an excess consumption of vodka and other spirits can be alcohol poisoning, violence, suicide, accidents, and other diseases, including liver cancer, tuberculosis, throat cancer, pancreatitis, liver disease, acute ischemic heart disease and certain medical conditions related with alchol abuse.

Researchers said they believe the next step at solving the problem is to change drinking problems in the country. 

"It's not considered out of order to drink until you can't function in Russia," said David Leon, a professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. "It just seems to be part of being a guy in Russia that you are expected to drink heavily." 

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal, The Lancet.