Researchers in England have discovered that by looking at the prevalence of deaths related to alcohol use in a different way, the national numbers they arrive at are close to double what officials in the country previously have cited, the Daily Telegraph reported Aug. 16.

Examining deaths related to but not entirely caused by alcohol in their analysis, the researchers have released data showing that 15,000 people in England died from alcohol-related conditions in 2005. That compares with previous official figures that had placed the number of deaths at 8,386, looking strictly at overdoses and other events caused entirely by alcohol use.

The new numbers incorporate illnesses such as heart disease or some cancers, which can be exacerbated by alcohol use. "Most people do not realize how many of the body's systems are affected by alcohol and the relationship for example between alcohol and cancer, particularly cancer of the digestive system but also breast cancer," said Professor Mark Bellis, director of public health at the North West Public Health Observatory.

Using the broader definition in calculating their numbers, the researchers looked at 48 conditions that have been determined to be related to alcohol. They found that in the 18-to-25 age group, more than one-quarter of deaths in men and 15 percent of deaths in women were related to alcohol use.

Yet the researchers added that their data still may underestimate the effects of drinking on mortality, since some conditions for which there is limited evidence of a link to drinking remain omitted from this broader analysis.