Yet Another Study Suggests Drinking Isn ’ t Good for Your Health

Moderate drinking isn’t likely to extend your life, according to a new meta-analysis that adds to the mounting scientific consensus that alcohol consumption offers few health benefits and comes with serious risks. That conclusion may be surprising to anyone who’s heard that moderate drinking—usually defined as no more than two alcoholic beverages per day for men, or one for women—is good for the heart, potentially helping prevent heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks. Numerous studies have also linked the Mediterranean diet, red wine and all, with long, healthy lives. “The idea that alcohol is good for your health is so ingrained in many cultures,” says Tim Stockwell, who co-authored the new meta-analysis and is a professor of psychology at Canada’s University of Victoria and former director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. While there’s still some back and forth in the research world, Stockwell says that concept is built on decades of flawed science. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Many studies on alcohol and health compared light or moderate drinkers to people who abstain from alcohol, without adequately accounting for the fact that many people quit drinking because they have health problems or previously drank heavily. Many studies also focused on older adults, in whom this trend may be particularly apparent. “People who are still healthy in their 70s and 80s can continue to drink,&...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Research Source Type: news