Sidney University. Australia: Drinkers have long toasted the health benefits of moderate alcohol
consumption, but a new study published in the British Medical Journal
(BMJ) today pours doubt over the protective effects of alcohol.
The study challenges the prevailing claims moderate drinking is good for
your health and reveals any protective benefits from moderate alcohol
consumption have been overestimated or exaggerated by previous research.
One of the authors of the study, Associate Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis
from the University of Sydney, said the research had important public
health implications given alcohol consumption for Australians across all
ages is still very high.
"A large number of studies have
suggested that moderate consumption of alcohol may protect against
cardiovascular disease and this has become accepted wisdom," Associate
Professor Stamatakis said.
"The prevailing message to drinkers
has been don't feel guilty about drinking a few glasses of vino after
work each night: a regular dose of alcohol is better for you than none
at all.
"But this new research sheds doubt on the belief that alcohol has robust benefits and there is a 'healthy' dose.
"Our
research reveals that the protective effects of light drinking that
have been widely reported may be exaggerated because the claims are
based on studies that have included the inappropriate use of
non-drinkers, regardless of the abstinence reason as a comparator and
other 'selection biases'.
"Our study found that once ex-drinkers
- who may have quit due to alcohol-related health issues or abstain due
to poor health in general - were removed from the pool of
non-drinkers, the protective benefits of alcohol for moderate drinkers
virtually disappeared and there was little to no protection provided by
alcohol consumption at any level."
Associate Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis from the Faculty of Health
Sciences and University's Charles Perkins Centre said while the study
does not answer the question as to whether people should imbibe or
completely abstain when it comes to drinking, it does highlight the
importance of other health-promoting and disease risk minimisation
strategies for better health.
"The message from this study is
Australians should not use claims of alcohol's health benefits as a
license to drink and the alcohol industry should not use health-related
messages to promote its products," Associate Professor Stamatakis said.
"Australians
looking to improve their health should adopt more effective health and
wellbeing-promoting strategies like being physically active in their
everyday life or adopting regular exercise, rather than take up
drinking."
The study explored the association between alcohol consumption and
mortality in different age groups to determine the suitability of age
specific alcohol limits and explored different ways of defining
'non-drinkers'.
Read the full study published online in the BMJ.