18:03
Tieng Anh Vui
Deaths from alcohol-related disease in young women are rising, contrary to the overall trend, a study suggests.
Experts looked at deaths in men and women of all ages in Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester from 1980 to 2011.
They said the results for women born in the 1970s should be a "warning signal" about their drinking habits.
They say minimum pricing, shelved this week as a plan to tackle binge drinking by the government in England and Wales, would help address the issue.
The study, detailed in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, looked at patterns of alcohol-related mortality in the three cities, which all have similar patterns of deprivation, poor health and industrialisation.
It compared trends in alcohol-related deaths of people born between 1910 and 1979.
Overall, men were much more likely to die from alcohol-related disease than women - and the age range most affected was people in their 40s and 50s.
But while rates have plateaued or even fallen slightly for the majority, that is not true for the youngest group of women - those born in the 1970s - for whom the death rate actually increased in all three cities.
'Hard to dismiss'
A "snapshot" example cited by the researchers compares death rates for women born in different cohorts when they reached the age of 34.
For those born in the 1950s, it was a rate of eight per 100,000; for those born in the 1960s - 14 per 100,000, while for those born in the 1970s it rose to 20 per 100,000.
However for men, comparable figures showed a recent decrease.
For the 1950s cohort it was 22 per 100,000 rising to 38 per 100,000 in the 1960s - but falling to 30 per 100,000 for the 1970s.
Writing in the journal, the team led by Dr Deborah Shipton, said this pattern showed an emerging trend which should not be ignored.
"It is imperative that this early warning sign is acted upon," she said.
"Given this increase in the younger cohort is seen in all three cities it is hard to dismiss this as a city-specific phenomenon.
"Failure to have a policy response to this new trend may result in the effects of this increase being played out for decades to come."
The team suggests that cheaper alcohol, which is more widely available, combined with better marketing and longer drinking hours will all have played their part in fuelling the problem.
'Cultural influences'
Dr Shipton told the BBC it was "a shame" minimum pricing had been rejected in England and Wales.
She said it was one measure which would help tackle the problem, although it would not address the "deep-rooted cultural influences at play".
The government said there was not enough "concrete evidence" that minimum pricing would reduce the harmful effects of problem drinking without affecting people who drank responsibly.
Scotland's government is still committed to bringing in a minimum price of 50p per unit.
However the law will not be implemented until legal proceedings, brought by the Scotch Whisky Association, are complete.
Northern Ireland is yet to put forward a specific proposal, although it is reviewing pricing.
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