Six Americans die from alcohol poisoning daily on average, and mortality rates are highest among middle-aged men, federal health authorities reported on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The report is the first in a decade by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to tally alcohol poisonings for the entire American population. Most previous analyses looked at certain groups, in particular young people.<\/p>\n
The agency found that an average of 2,221 people died of alcohol poisoning annually between 2010 and 2012. Three-quarters of the deaths occurred among 35- to 64-year-olds, the report found, and about three-quarters were men. The death rate was highest among men ages 45 to 54.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost previous studies have looked at college kids and young people, but the problem is bigger than that,\u201d\u009d said Dr. Robert Brewer, who heads the alcohol program at the C.D.C. \u201cIt was surprising that the number of deaths was so concentrated among middle-age adults.\u201d\u009d<\/b><\/p>\n