The higher the education, the more alcohol – New RKI study causes a stir

In its new study on "Reassessing Alcohol Consumption in Germany," the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) examines consumption in different population groups. The study concludes that, generally, one-third of people in Germany consume alcohol in amounts that are harmful to their health.

21.2 percent of people in Germany consider themselves abstainers, meaning they don't drink any alcohol at all; specifically, 16.7 percent of men and 25.3 percent of women. However, the interesting finding from the RKI (Robert Koch Institute) is the significantly different levels of alcohol consumption across social classes.

Uwe Knop is a certified nutritionist, author, and speaker at professional associations, companies, and continuing medical education events. He is part of our EXPERTS Circle . The content represents his personal views based on his individual expertise.

The higher the level of education, the more alcohol is consumed ! While almost 55 percent of men and 33 percent of women in the high education group exhibit drinking behavior with moderate or high health risks, this figure drops to 38 percent of men and about 13 percent of women in the low education group. The population group with the lowest risky alcohol consumption is the one with the lowest level of education.

No, this statement is false and misleading. Although statistics show that the highest proportion of people with risky alcohol consumption is found in the group with the highest level of education, this does not automatically mean that alcohol leads to success .

This observation is a pure correlation (the simultaneous occurrence of two factors), not a causal relationship (cause and effect). The "success" (in this case, education) is more likely an indicator of other factors such as higher income, social occasions, or a particular lifestyle that make alcohol consumption more probable.

One cannot conclude causality because a correlation ( A occurs together with B ) does not prove that A is the cause of B (causality). Many other factors, or even just a single third , unknown, unanalyzed factor (C) that influences both A and B (this is called a "confounder"), could be at play.

Example of alcohol consumption: The correlation "High education → High alcohol consumption" is probably due to factor C: Socioeconomic status/network . Educated people often have a higher income and participate in more social events (networking, business lunches), which increases alcohol consumption.

A classic example from nutritional science: The correlation "coffee drinkers → higher rate of heart disease" in older studies erroneously led to the assumption that coffee was harmful. However, the hidden factor C was smoking . Coffee drinkers used to smoke more frequently. Smoking was the true cause of the heart disease, not the coffee.

This "reinterpretation" of correlations as causal relationships is the fundamental problem in nutrition communication – because there is no causal evidence here, as this pitiable branch of research suffers from so many limitations that nutritional science is like reading a crystal ball . Therefore, it is often "pretended" that the causal truth is known – simply to remain important and maintain interpretive authority. In reality, however, nutrition researchers are groping in the dark!

The current RKI study does not provide direct causal reasons, but the results point to social and structural explanations associated with higher levels of education. Educated people likely drink significantly more alcohol due to the following factors:

Higher social acceptance: Alcohol consumption in the form of wine at business dinners, aperitifs or networking events is often culturally and socially well established and accepted in these circles.

Higher income and availability: A higher income allows for the purchase of more expensive alcoholic beverages (also as a status symbol) and participation in events where (expensive) alcohol is common.

Perceived risk: It is assumed that these groups tend to underestimate their own risk compared to other groups or believe they can offset the risks through their healthy lifestyle (e.g., exercise). (This is a common explanation often discussed in studies on education and health behavior.)

Because here too, if anything, there are only correlations - and current studies clearly point in the presumably "protective direction".

However, it's also clear that consistently high levels of alcohol can lead to addiction and enormous problems, especially if someone becomes an alcoholic. But that's a topic for another time.