英國人飲酒過量,肝病或成爲頭號殺手

With more than 10 million adults regularly drinking more than 14 units a week - the safe limit - liver disease will probably start to overtake heart disease as the leading cause of early death in the UK within two years.

1000多萬成年人每週定期飲酒14單位以上--安全極限--兩年內，肝病或取代心臟病，成爲英國人過早死亡的主要原因。

Experts are calling for England to follow Scotland and introduce minimum pricing for alcohol. Recently the Supreme Court paved the way for the Scottish government to introduce the measure on May 1 this year.

專家呼籲英格蘭追隨蘇格蘭的腳步，引入酒精飲料最低價格限制法規。近日，最高法院爲蘇格蘭政府在今年5月1日提出這項措施鋪平了道路。

And none too soon in my opinion because vast numbers of Brits are getting liver disease due to excess drinking, obesity and viral hepatitis. Higher alcohol prices could put the brakes on this.

在我看來，提出這項法規恰逢其時，因爲很多英國人由於飲酒過量、肥胖和病毒性肝炎而患了肝病。更高的酒精飲料價格可能會抑制事態的發展。

Professor Roger Williams, chairman of The Lancet commission on liver disease and an expert at King's College hospital, said: "They must bring it in. Not only Scotland but Wales have committed to it, and the Irish Republic is trying to get it through. Northern Ireland is also committed. England is going to be left behind with people dying a preventable death, whereas with other countries in the UK, most such deaths are going to be prevented."

《柳葉刀》肝病委員會的主席、國王學院醫院專家羅傑·威廉斯教授說："他們必須引入這一法規。不僅蘇格蘭要引入，威爾士也已經做出了承諾，而愛爾蘭共和國正試圖引入。北愛爾蘭也做出了承諾。英格蘭要落後其它地區了，因爲人們正死於可以預防的病情，而英國的其它地區卻正在預防這些死亡事件。"

The latest report, the fourth from the commission, accuses the Government of dragging its feet in reducing deaths from liver disease by bringing in alcohol minimum pricing. If this doesn't happen, 63,000 people will die from alcohol-related conditions in the next five years.

委員會的最新報告（第四份）指控政府故意拖拖拉拉，沒有通過引入酒精飲料最低價格法規減少因肝病去世的人數。如果再不採取行動，將有63000人在接下來的5年內死於與酒精相關的疾病。

Extrapolated results suggest that introducing minimum alcohol pricing in England would save ?325million in healthcare costs over the same time period.

推算結果表明，在英國引入酒精飲料最低價格法規將在5年內節省3.25億英鎊的醫療費用。

In the November ruling, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge by the Scotch Whisky Association and ruled that Scotland can set a minimum price. Scottish ministers said a 50p-per-unit minimum would help tackle the country's "unhealthy relationship with drink" by raising the price of cheap, high-strength alcohol.

在11月份的裁決中，最高法院駁回了蘇格蘭威士忌協會的質疑，裁定蘇格蘭可以設定最低價格。蘇格蘭部長們表示，通過提高便宜的、酒精濃度高的酒飲的價格，以每單位最低價50便士出售便可幫助解決該國的"不健康飲酒"問題。

Judi Rhys, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: "Many of us are putting our livers at risk from drinking too much alcohol. The shocking numbers highlighted show that we are facing a liver disease crisis."

英國肝臟信託基金會的首席執行官朱迪·萊斯說："我們很多人都在過量飲酒，將肝臟置於危險境地。令人震驚的數字顯示：我們正面臨肝病危機。"