Regular drinkers may no longer be able to rely on the stack of studies claiming that a glass of wine a day is beneficial for health. According to these studies, the famous daily glass might even be better for you than completely avoiding alcohol. For example, it could have a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases. A new analysis, notably reported by The Guardian, reveals that the health benefits of alcohol have been greatly exaggerated. The optimistic message encouraging moderate consumption would come from flawed surveys.
Scientists in Canada examined 107 studies published on alcohol consumption habits and individuals’ lifespan. In most cases, these surveys do not take into account the fact that some people have reduced their consumption or stopped drinking due to health problems. Thus, among abstainers and occasional drinkers are many sick individuals. This lowers the overall health status of the abstainers group, and puts moderate drinkers in a better position, as explained in the study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
In surveys that do not make this mistake and include younger people, there is absolutely no indication that moderate drinkers live longer. «This idea has had an impact on national guidelines for alcohol consumption and has prevented the development of effective public health policies,» says Tim Stockwell, lead author of the study and researcher at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria.
Former Chief Medical Officer of England, Dame Sally Davies, states that «there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.» A major study from 2018 supports this view, indicating that alcohol was responsible for 2.8 million deaths in 2016 and is the leading risk factor for premature death and disability among people aged 15 to 49.
«We have increasing evidence that the apparent beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption on health are probably not due to a cause-and-effect relationship,» summarizes Iona Millwood from the University of Oxford (United Kingdom). This researcher is the lead author of a large study involving over half a million Chinese individuals. The study found a link between alcohol and over sixty diseases, including liver cirrhosis, strokes, several gastrointestinal cancers, and gastric ulcers.
In conclusion, while moderate alcohol consumption has been touted as beneficial for health, recent studies suggest that these claims may have been exaggerated. It is essential to consider the potential risks associated with alcohol consumption and make informed decisions about drinking habits to prioritize overall health and well-being.