- Global alcohol guidelines are moving toward a recommendation to reduce alcohol consumption.
- More than 200 health problems have been linked to alcohol, according to the World Health Organization.
- Genetic studies show that people who carry a genetic variant that makes alcohol unpleasant tend to have a lower risk of heart disease.
It’s wine time. Beer thirty. Happy Hour. Five o’clock somewhere.
Maybe it’s also time to rethink alcohol consumption?
Moderate alcohol consumption was once thought to have beneficial effects on the heart, but better research methods have thrown cold water on that.
WOMEN WHO DRINK MORE THAN 8 ALCOHOLIC DRINKS PER WEEK ARE MORE AT RISK OF HEART DISEASE: NEW STUDY
“Drinking less is a great way to be healthier,” said Dr. Timothy Naimi, who directs the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
Bottles of alcohol sit on the shelves of a bar in Houston on June 23, 2020. Moderate alcohol consumption was once thought to have beneficial effects on the heart, but better research methods have come in the years 2010 threw cold water on this. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, file)
ARE CONSUMER GUIDELINES CHANGING?
Guidelines vary greatly from country to country, but the general trend is to drink less.
The United Kingdom, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia have recently reviewed new evidence and lowered their alcohol consumption recommendations. Ireland will require cancer warning labels on alcohol from 2026.
“The scientific consensus has changed because of the overwhelming evidence linking alcohol to more than 200 health problems, including cancers, cardiovascular disease and injuries,” said Carina Ferreira-Borges, regional alcohol advisor at the bureau regional office of the World Health Organization for Europe.
From Dry January to Sober October to bartenders getting creative with mocktails, there’s a cultural vibe that supports reduction.
“People my age are a lot more accepting of it,” said Tessa Weber, 28, of Austin, Texas. She stopped drinking during this year’s Dry January because she noticed alcohol increased her anxiety. She liked the results – better sleep, more energy – and stuck with it.
“It’s good to reevaluate your relationship with alcohol,” Weber said.
WAIT, MODERATE CONSUMPTION HAS NO HEALTH BENEFITS?
This idea came from flawed studies comparing groups of people based on how much they drank. Usually, consumption was measured at a given time. And none of the studies randomly assigned people to drink or not drink, so they couldn’t prove cause and effect.
People who report drinking moderately tend to have higher education levels, higher incomes and better access to health care, Naimi said.
“It turns out that when you adapt to these things, the benefits tend to disappear,” he said.
WEEKLY ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION COULD BE LINKED TO 61 DIFFERENT DISEASES, STUDY SAYS
Another problem: most studies do not include young people. Nearly half of people who die from alcohol-related causes die before the age of 50.
“If you are…
