Put that alcoholic drink down!
What better time than summer to sit back and relax with some wine, beer or cocktails? A major study published in the journal ‘Nature Medicine’(opens in new window) is asking you to find other refreshing options.
How much is too much?
A team of researchers at the University of Oxford and Peking University analysed the health information of over half a million adults (41 % men) with an average age of 52 who are living in China. They found that drinking any amount of alcohol may increase the risk of developing 61 diseases. Surprisingly, these included 33 diseases not previously linked to alcohol, such as cataracts, fractures and lung cancer. “Alcohol consumption is adversely related to a much wider range of diseases than has previously been established, and our findings show these associations are likely to be causal,” lead author Pek Kei Im, a University of Oxford research fellow, commented in a news release(opens in new window). About 33 % of the men admitted they consumed alcohol at least once a week, while only 2 % of women said they drank regularly. Among these men, the researchers examined 12 years of hospital records, as well as genetic data, to establish if alcohol consumption was associated with any of the diseases they developed. “It is becoming clear that the harmful use of alcohol is one of the most important risk factors for poor health, both in China and globally,” added senior author Iona Millwood, an associate professor at the University of Oxford. “This study provides important causal evidence of the scale of alcohol-related harms, which is critical to inform prevention strategies in different countries,” explained Zhengming Chen, a professor of epidemiology at the same institution.
Is there a safe level of alcohol?
What now for drinkers who appreciate an alcoholic beverage every now and then? “In further analyses, the author’s own findings support the hundreds of peer-reviewed studies since the 1970s reporting that light and moderate drinkers tend to live at least as long as non-drinkers, and generally live longer than those who drink heavily,” Puja Darbari, managing director of the not-for-profit organisation International Alliance for Responsible Drinking in London, told ‘Fox News’(opens in new window). “For most adults, any risk posed by the moderate consumption of alcohol is low; everyone should avoid drinking to excess, and for some people, the better choice may be not to drink at all.”