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The Upside to the Downside
December 5, 2008
The global financial crisis has impacted Russia so greatly that Russians are dramatically decreasing their personal alcohol consumption simply because they have much less disposable income. As a result, factories are producing the “Russian national drink”, vodka, much faster than they can sell it. Stockpiles of vodka are 6 times higher than they were this time last year. Even a 15% decrease in production during October 2008 did nothing to “stem the tide” of excess vodka inventory.
Russian fatalities related to alcohol poisoning have also steadily declined, confirming scientific evidence that physical health improves during tough economic times. As a general rule, people tend to eat at home more and consume healthier meals during periods of financial hardship. Smoking, illicit drug use, and obesity also decrease during economic downturns. For every 1% increase in unemployment rate, deaths from heart disease decrease by 0.75%. In the United States, that translates into 3009 fewer heart disease deaths per year for every percent rise in unemployment.
(Robert Stuart, Psychosomatic Medicine, Oct. 2008.)
Topics: Health News