The Myth of Moderate Drinking and the New Rules on Booze
Columbia epidemiologist Katherine Keyes ’10PH explains the slippery science behind alcohol’s health effects. Alcohol consumption has been linked to cancers of the breast, colon and rectum, liver, esophagus, voice box, throat, mouth, How to Get Alcohol Out of Your System and probably the pancreas, according to the American Cancer Society. Another study found that one component in red wine may protect the brain from stroke damage. Now that you’re armed with the information, it’s your choice how to fill your glass. For some, especially during the holidays, the relaxation, social benefits, or stress relief – are well worth it.
Alcohol levels
- To others, including many researchers, the term may encompass more than nondrinkers, including some people who drink a little bit.
- But when elevated blood pressure is accompanied by abnormal cholesterol and blood sugar levels, the damage to your arteries, kidneys, and heart accelerates exponentially.
- In the United States, moderate drinking for healthy adults is different for men and women.
- For years, researchers and doctors thought that amount was not just okay – but healthy.
17 There was no association with folate and increased breast cancer risk among women who drank low or no alcohol daily. In recent years, the alcoholic beverage market has become even more diversified. For example, beverages such as “ light” beer, “ light” wines, and wine or spirit coolers, which have slightly lower alcohol contents than the corresponding regular beverages, have been introduced. Conversely, both the relatively new “ ice” beers and “dry” beers have higher alcohol contents than do either regular or “ light” beers (Williams et al. 1997).
The researchers have invested much effort in maintaining some degree of comparability across surveys, despite changing definitions and conceptualizations of alcohol-use disorders (Grant 1994). Moderate drinking differs between men and women, according to health authorities like the CDC and NIAAA. The effects of alcohol consumption can also differ greatly based on a person’s physical composition, regardless of sex or gender identity. Drinking too much alcohol too frequently is unhealthy and can lead to liver disease, weight gain, and alcohol use disorder (AUD).
Alcohol consumption may also play a role in certain mental health conditions, like depression and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Or suppose that the nondrinkers are born with a gene that gives them an unpleasant reaction when they drink alcohol — and that’s why they don’t drink. Suppose that same gene also raises their risk of getting heart disease. If that gene is the reason nondrinkers have more heart disease than people who take a drink a day, then people without that gene would get no heart benefits from taking a drink a day. Based on these results, the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend drinking only in moderation, if at all. Other authoritative organizations — such as the CDC and the American Heart Association — have echoed this advice.
Men vs. women: Does moderate drinking differ?
One variant of this enzyme, called alcohol dehydrogenase type 1C (ADH1C), comes in two “flavors.” One quickly breaks down alcohol, the other does it more slowly. Moderate drinkers who have two copies of the gene for the slow-acting enzyme are at much lower risk for cardiovascular disease than moderate drinkers who have two genes for the fast-acting enzyme. 44 Those with one gene for the slow-acting enzyme and one for the faster enzyme fall in between.
In most countries in this region, the majority of adults have never drunk alcohol. In a related chart, you can see the share who drink alcohol by gender and age group in the UK. Again, the prevalence of drinking across North Africa and the Middle East is notably lower than elsewhere. Typically, 5 to 10 percent of adults across these regions drank in the preceding year, and in a number of countries, this was below 5 percent.
Science around moderate alcohol use
The chart shows direct death rates (not including suicide deaths) from alcohol use disorders across the world. The death rates are typically higher in Eastern Europe and lower in North Africa and the Middle East. We also find correlates in drinking patterns when we look at groupings of income, education or work status.
Women usually have lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase (AHD) than men. Consequently, alcohol remains in a woman’s system longer and builds up faster. The shift in science has the Mayo clinic telling doctors and patients, ”Drinking alcohol in any amount carries a risk” since alcohol contributes to about 50 different causes of death. TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – This year, more people are leaving alcohol out of their holiday celebrations.
Some past studies had suggested that moderate drinking might be good for your health. More studies now show that there aren’t health benefits of moderate drinking compared to not drinking. Alcohol misuse refers drinking in a manner, situation, amount, or frequency that could cause harm to the person who drinks or to those around them. A new Gallup poll shows younger adults are already getting that message – with 65% saying even one or two drinks a day is bad for a person’s health.
Knowing what counts as a heavy drinking day—4 or more drinks for women and 5 or more for men—can be clinically useful in two ways. Heavy drinking thresholds for women are lower because after consumption, alcohol distributes itself evenly in body water, and pound for pound, women have proportionally less water in their bodies than men do. This means that after a woman and a man of the same weight drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) will tend to be higher, putting her at greater risk for harm. A drink or two a day was safely within most public health guidelines, and research even suggested that a little alcohol could protect against cardiovascular disease.
