Between 2013and 16, the rate of alcohol-related deaths increased at an averageof 7.1 percent annually for women and 4.6 percent for men. (Photo:Getty Images)

The intense focus on the opioid epidemic may have obscured an evengreater threat to American health: alcohol.

A new study published in JAMA finds thatalcohol-related deaths increased dramatically between2000 and 2016. The spike in alcohol-related mortality wasparticularly great for women.

According to the study, which was based on data from the Centersfor Disease Control, more than 425,000 deaths during the timeframecould be attributed to either alcohol overdoses, alcohol-inducedaccidents or alcohol-induced liver disease.

Related: Alcohol addiction or diabetes: Which costs patientsmore?

Men accounted for the great majority of fatalities (76 percent)but the rate of alcohol-induced death for women increased at a muchfaster pace –– between 3.1 and 3.6 percent each year. For men, therate increased between 1.4 and 1.8 percent every year.

The uptick has become particularly pronounced in recent years.Between 2013 and 16, the rate increased at an average of 7.1percent annually for women and 4.6 percent for men.

Alcoholic liver disease is by far the most commonalcohol-related cause of death, accounting for 60 percent of themale and 69 percent of the female deaths in 2016. ALD encompasses arange of conditions, including fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis orcirrhosis.

The study classified most of the remaining deaths in 2016 to"accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol or mental andbehavioral disorders due to alcohol." That accounted for 35 percentof deaths for men and 28 percent for women.

The study's lead author, Susan Spillane, told Health Day that the study understated theimpact that alcohol has on American health.

"Rates of alcohol-induced deaths, as documented in our study,are bellwethers of a far larger public health problem, as theserates capture only a portion of all alcohol-related deaths and saynothing of alcohol-related morbidities," she said.

Pat Aussem, director of clinical content anddevelopment for the Center on Addiction, offered several tips tohelp curb the trend:

• Regular screening by doctors for substance addiction and mentaldisorders
• Better public education about CDC guidelines for alcoholconsumption
• Increased access to affordable treatment for substanceabuse
• Stricter state and local laws pertaining to liquorstores

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