The present paper can be seen as an update of Rehm and colleagues [1], addressing the direction, form and strength of the relationship of different dimensions of alcohol consumption to a whole range of chronic and infectious diseases and injuries. The relationship between alcohol consumption and health outcomes is complex and multidimensional. In the six years since the previous comprehensive overview [1], however, the field has been substantially transformed by an accumulation of new studies, partly by expansion into new areas of research, such as alcohol and infectious diseases, but particularly by the widespread use of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. While the general conclusions from previous research have been confirmed, some new relationships between alcohol consumption and disease/injury have also been identified and others have been clarified.
