NEW YORK – To the surprise of even health officials, it turns out that most deaths from drinking too much involve middle-aged adults — not teens or college kids.
A report Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found six Americans die each day from alcohol poisoning. CDC officials said three-quarters of those deaths are adults ages 35 to 64, and most are men. CDC officials said they thought more would be younger.
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The CDC searched death records from 2010 through 2012. Researchers focused on people who died after a single episode of binge drinking. Too much alcohol can shut down areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate and temperature.
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The report found an average of 2,221 alcohol poisoning deaths a year.
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Online:
CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns
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