Malt liquor, a type of beer that is higher in alcohol than other brews, is largely a drink of the homeless and unemployed, and is likely to be abused, U.S. researchers reported Monday.
And malt liquor is heavily marketed to black and Hispanic youth, the team at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in California found.
Their study of 329 drinkers in Los Angeles found that malt liquor drinkers are different from those who choose other tipples.
Ricky Bluthenthal, who led the study, said malt liquors were both higher in alcohol than other beers and tended to be sold in larger containers.
"We found that the combination of these differences resulted in the average malt liquor drinker in our study consuming 80 percent more alcohol per drink than the average regular beer drinker," he said in a statement.
And, Bluthenthal said, the more alcohol consumed, the worse the consequences for both the drinker and his or her community.
Writing in the March issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, Bluthenthal's team said they found malt liquor drinkers were more likely to be homeless, unemployed, receive public assistance, and tended to drink more alcohol than other drinkers.
Rhonda Jones-Webb, an expert in alcohol consumption and behavior at the University of Minnesota who reviewed the study, said she was concerned about the marketing of malt liquor.
The products are largely targeted to black and Hispanic youths and young adults, she said.
"Rap artists have been popular images in malt liquor advertising and 'gangsta' rap performers portray malt liquor as a sign of masculinity," she said.
"Advertising influences brand choice, and what young people drink in early years influences what they drink as adults," she added in a telephone interview.
Malt liquors are often sold in 40-ounce bottles, she added. "Rap lyrics and movie scripts encourage 'chugging' the bottles before they get warm," she said.
"The combined effects of higher alcohol content, larger serving size, and faster consumption can result in higher blood alcohol levels, an increased risk of aggressive behavior, and other alcohol-related problems."
Jones-Webb said larger studies should be done on the type of alcohol that people drink, advertising of the different types and their influence on behavior and crime.
