Medical Research News
Author: Journal of Alcohol and Drug Studies
Published: 07/26/2024
Type of publication: News – Peer reviewed: Yeah
Content: Summary – Introduction – Major – Related
Synopsis: In reality, moderate alcohol consumption is unlikely to extend people’s lives and carries potential health risks, including an increased risk of certain types of cancer. The idea that moderate alcohol consumption leads to a longer, healthier life dates back decades. That spurred a widespread belief that alcohol, in moderation, can be a health tonic. However, not all studies have painted such a rosy picture, and a new analysis sheds light on why.
Introduction
You’ve probably all heard the conventional wisdom that a glass of wine a day is good for you, or some variation of it. The problem is that it’s based on flawed scientific research, according to a new report published in the journal Journal of Alcohol and Drug Studies.
Main Summary
Over the years, many studies have suggested that moderate drinkers enjoy longer lives and have lower risks of heart disease and other chronic illnesses than abstainers. That’s spurred a widespread belief that alcohol, in moderation, can be a health tonic. Not all studies have painted such a rosy picture, however, and the new analysis sheds light on why.
Simply put, studies linking moderate alcohol consumption to health benefits suffer from fundamental design flaws, said lead researcher Tim Stockwell, Ph.D., a scientist at the Canadian Institute on Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria.
The main problem
These studies have generally focused on older adults and have not taken into account people’s drinking habits throughout their lives. They therefore compared moderate drinkers to groups of “abstainers” and “occasional drinkers” that included some older adults who had stopped drinking or had reduced their consumption because they had developed a range of health problems.
“That makes people who continue to drink look much healthier by comparison,” Stockwell said.
And in this case, he noted, appearances can be deceiving.
For the analysis, Stockwell and his colleagues identified 107 published studies that followed people over time and looked at the relationship between drinking habits and longevity. When the researchers combined all the data, it appeared that light or moderate drinkers (that is, those who drank between one drink per week and two per day) had a 14% lower risk of dying during the study period compared with abstainers.
However, things changed when researchers dug deeper. They found some “higher quality” studies that included relatively young people to start with (under 55, on average) and that made sure that occasional drinkers and former drinkers were not considered “abstainers.” In those studies, moderate alcohol consumption was not associated with a longer life.
Instead, it was the “lower quality” studies (older participants, with no distinction between former drinkers and lifelong abstainers) that linked moderate alcohol consumption with greater longevity.
“If you look at the weaker studies,” Stockwell said, “that’s where you see the health benefits.”
The idea that moderate drinking leads to a longer, healthier life goes back decades. As an example, Stockwell pointed to the “French paradox” — the idea, popularized in the 1990s, that red wine helps explain why the French enjoy relatively low rates of heart disease, despite a high-fat diet. That view of alcohol as an elixir still seems to be “entrenched” in the public imagination, Stockwell noted.
In reality, he said, moderate alcohol consumption probably does not prolong people’s lives and in fact carries some potential health risks, including an increased risk of certain types of cancer. That’s why no major health organization has ever set a risk-free level of alcohol consumption.
“There is simply no level of alcohol consumption that is completely ‘safe,'” Stockwell said.
About the study
Stockwell, T., Zhao, J., Clay, J., Levesque, C., Sanger, N., Sherk, A., & Naimi, T. (2024). Why do only some cohort studies find health benefits from reduced alcohol consumption? A systematic review and meta-analysis of study characteristics that may bias mortality risk estimates. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 85(4), 441-452.
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This peer-reviewed publication was selected for publication by the editors of Disabled World due to its high relevance to the disability community. Original author: Journal of Alcohol and Drug Studiesand published on 26/07/2024, the content may have been edited for style, clarity or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Journal of Alcohol and Drug Studies He can be contacted at jsad.com. NOTE: Disabled World does not offer any warranty or endorsement related to this item.
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Cite this page (APA): Journal of Alcohol and Drug Studies (July 26, 2024). A new study debunks the myth that moderate alcohol consumption does not prolong life expectancy. Disabled worldRetrieved July 29, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/news/research/drinking-myth.php
Permanent link: New study debunks myth: moderate alcohol consumption does not prolong lifeIn reality, moderate alcohol consumption probably does not prolong people’s lives and carries potential health risks, including an increased risk of certain types of cancer.
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