Moderate alcohol consumption is not associated with any health benefits or reduced risk of death, according to a scientific study conducted in Canada that builds on more than 100 previous investigations.
The new research reflects 40 years of other studies with nearly five million participants. The researchers point to several flaws in the treatment of previous research data that indicated that alcohol consumption, in controlled amounts, could be beneficial to health.
Scientists have now concluded that previous observational studies were inaccurate: the conclusion that moderate drinkers are healthier than never drinkers comes for reasons that have nothing to do with alcohol consumption, but with “oral hygiene.” , exercise routines, diet and weight”. .
The researchers reveal, on the other hand, the existence of a greater risk of death at higher levels of consumption, and for women these figures start from a lower value than for men.
“There was a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality among women who drank 25 grams or more per day and among men who drank 45 grams or more per day,” the study read.
This means that the risk of premature death increases for women when they drink 25 grams of alcohol a day, which is equivalent to two glasses of wine.
In an attempt to overcome the limitations found in previous studies, this new research sought to take into account factors such as the age and gender of the groups. After extensive research, the authors further concluded that there are no significant reductions in mortality risk for people who drink less than 25 grams of alcohol per day.
The new report, which was not designed to develop recommendations on alcohol consumption, sought to highlight and correct methodological problems that were skewing the conclusions of older observational studies, which often associated reduced alcohol consumption with a lower likelihood of death from all causes. .
However, “the proposal that low-dose alcohol consumption protects against all-cause mortality in the general population remains controversial,” they wrote.
Source: TSF
