NO MOA HEALTH BENEFITS FROM MODERATE DRINKING, YO! ๐ธ
Fo’ years, da science guys wen say dat drinkin’ in moderation good fo’ ya health. Dey wen say dat it can even help ya live longer. But now, afta more den 40 years of research, scientists wen find dat da opposite is true.๐ท๐ซ
Da new analysis wen find dat da methodology of many previous studies was flawed. Da risks of dying prematurely wen increase significantly for women once dey drink 25 grams of alcohol a day, which is less than two standard cocktails. And fo’ men, da risks wen increase significantly at 45 grams of alcohol a day, or just over three drinks.๐ฉ๐ธ๐จ๐ธ
Dis new report wen analyze mo’ den 100 studies of almost five million adults. It was not designed to develop drinking recommendations, but to correct for methodological problems dat plagued many of da older observational studies. Most of dose studies were observational, meaning dey could identify links or associations but dey could be misleading and did not prove cause and effect.๐ฌ๐
Da scientists wen say dat da older studies failed to recognize dat light and moderate drinkers had myriad other healthy habits and advantages. Also, the abstainers used as a comparison group often included former drinkers who had given up alcohol after developing health problems.๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฅฆ
โWhen you compare dis unhealthy group to dose who go on drinking, it makes da current drinkers look more healthy and like dey have lower mortality,โ said Tim Stockwell, a scientist with da Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research who was one of da authors of da new report. Once Dr. Stockwell and his colleagues corrected for dese errors and others, he said, โLo and behold, da supposed health benefits of drinking shrink dramatically, and become non-statistically significant.โ๐จโ๐ฌ๐
Da comparisons of moderate drinkers with non-drinkers were flawed for numerous reasons. People who abstain completely from alcohol are a minority, and those who arenโt teetotalers for religious reasons are more likely to have chronic health problems, to have a disability or to be from lower income backgrounds.๐ฅ๐ต
Moderate drinkers tend to be moderate in all ways. Dey tend to be wealthier, are more likely to exercise and to eat a healthy diet, and are less likely to be overweight. Dey even have better teeth, scientists say. Da idea dat moderate drinking may be beneficial dates back to 1924, when a Johns Hopkins biologist named Raymond Pearl published a graph with a J-shaped curve, the low point in the middle representing the moderate drinkers, who had the lowest rates of mortality from all causes.๐๏ธโโ๏ธ๐๐ฆท
In more recent decades, wine โ and particularly red wine โ developed a reputation for having health benefits after news stories highlighted its high concentration of a protective antioxidant called resveratrol, which is also found in blueberries and cranberries. But da moderate alcohol hypothesis has come under increasing criticism over the years as the alcohol industryโs role in funding research has come to light, and newer studies have found that even moderate consumption of alcohol โ including red wine โ may contribute to cancers of the breast, esophagus and head and neck, high blood pressure and a serious heart arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation.๐๐ท๐ซ
In January, Canada issued new guidelines warning that no amount of alcohol consumption is healthy, and urged people to cut drinking as
much as possible. The new guidance, issued by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, was a stark departure from its 2011 guidelines, which recommended women limit themselves to no more than 10 standard drinks a week and men no more than 15. Now the Canadian agency says that consuming even two standard drinks a week is associated with health risks, and seven or more weekly drinks carry a high level of risk.๐ป๐ซ
Current U.S. dietary guidelines are nowhere near as strict, recommending men limit themselves to two drinks or less a day and women to one or less. But guidelines about alcohol consumption issued by numerous health organizations have been amended to include the proviso that people should not drink alcohol for the express purpose of improving their health.๐๐บ๐ซ
That caveat was repeated by a scientist with the Distilled Spirits Council, though she took issue with the findings of the new report. Amanda Berger, vice president for science and health with the Distilled Spirits Council, said the new analysis still โsuggests that those who drink in moderation live longer than those who do not,โ but added, โno one should drink alcohol to obtain potential health benefits and some individuals should not drink at all.โ๐ฉโ๐ฌ๐ฅ
The new analysis shows, however, that those who drink moderately have no statistically significant advantage in longevity compared with those who are lifelong abstainers, the studyโs authors said. In conclusion, it is recommended that individuals limit their alcohol consumption or refrain from drinking altogether to avoid potential health risks associated with alcohol consumption.๐ โโ๏ธ๐น
In the end, this new analysis has shed light on the truth about the health benefits of moderate drinking. While some may still believe in the J-shaped curve hypothesis, it is important to consider the many methodological flaws in previous studies and to prioritize overall healthy habits rather than relying on alcohol consumption for potential health benefits.๐ค๐
NOW IN ENGLISH
Moderate Drinking has no health benefits!๐ธ
For years, scientists have claimed that drinking in moderation is good for your health, and that it can even help you live longer. But after more than 40 years of research, a new analysis has found that the opposite is true.๐ท๐ซ
The new review has found that the methodology of many previous studies was flawed, and that the risks of dying prematurely increase significantly for women once they drink 25 grams of alcohol a day, which is less than two standard cocktails. And for men, the risks increase significantly at 45 grams of alcohol a day, or just over three drinks.๐ฉ๐ธ๐จ๐ธ
The analysis analyzed more than 100 studies of almost five million adults and was not designed to develop drinking recommendations but to correct for methodological problems that plagued many of the older observational studies. Most of those studies were observational, meaning they could identify links or associations but could be misleading and did not prove cause and effect.๐ฌ๐
The scientists said that the older studies failed to recognize that light and moderate drinkers had myriad other healthy habits and advantages. Also, the abstainers used as a comparison group often included former drinkers who had given up alcohol after developing health problems.๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฅฆ
“When you compare this unhealthy group to those who go on drinking, it makes the current drinkers look more healthy and like they have lower mortality,” said Tim Stockwell, a scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research who was one of the authors of the new report. Once Dr. Stockwell and his colleagues corrected for these errors and others, he said, “Lo and behold, the supposed health benefits of drinking shrink dramatically, and become non-statistically significant.”๐จโ๐ฌ๐
The comparisons of moderate drinkers with non-drinkers were flawed for numerous reasons. People who abstain completely from alcohol are a minority, and those who arenโt teetotalers for religious reasons are more likely to have chronic health problems, to have a disability, or to be from lower-income backgrounds.๐ฅ๐ต
Moderate drinkers tend to be moderate in all ways. They tend to be wealthier, are more likely to exercise and eat a healthy diet, and are less likely to be overweight. They even have better teeth, scientists say. The idea that moderate drinking may be beneficial dates back to 1924 when a Johns Hopkins biologist named Raymond Pearl published a graph with a J-shaped curve, the low point in the middle representing the moderate drinkers, who had the lowest rates of mortality from all causes.๐๏ธโโ๏ธ๐๐ฆท
In more recent decades, wine and particularly red wine developed a reputation for having health benefits after news stories highlighted its high concentration of a protective antioxidant called resveratrol, which is also found in blueberries and cranberries. But the moderate alcohol hypothesis has come under increasing criticism over the years as the alcohol industry’s role in funding research has come to light, and newer studies have found that even moderate consumption of alcohol, including red wine, may contribute to cancers of the breast, esophagus and head and neck, high blood pressure, and a serious heart arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation.๐๐ท๐ซ
In January, Canada issued new guidelines warning that no amount of alcohol consumption is healthy and urged people to cut drinking as much as possible. The new guidance, issued by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, was a stark departure from its 2011 guidelines, which recommended women limit themselves to no more than 10 standard drinks a week and men no more than 15. Now the Canadian agency says that consuming even two standard drinks a week is associated with health risks, and seven or more weekly drinks carry a high level of risk.๐ป๐ซ
Current U.S. dietary guidelines are nowhere near as strict, recommending men limit themselves to two drinks or less a day and women to one or less. But guidelines about alcohol consumption issued by numerous health organizations have been amended to include the proviso that people should not drink alcohol for the express purpose of improving their health.๐๐บ๐ซ
The new analysis shows, however, that those who drink moderately have no statistically significant advantage in longevity compared with those who are lifelong abstainers, the study’s authors said. In conclusion, it is recommended that individuals limit their alcohol consumption or refrain from drinking altogether to avoid potential health risks associated with alcohol consumption.๐ โโ๏ธ๐น
In the end, this new analysis has shed light on the truth about the health benefits of moderate drinking. While some may still believe in the J-shaped curve hypothesis, it is important to consider the many methodological flaws in previous studies and to prioritize overall healthy habits rather than relying on alcohol consumption for potential health benefits.๐ค๐
