Most people drink alcohol because they like the way it makes them feel and/or social reasons. No one who steps into my office wants to hear that alcohol is bad for their health. But it is. We’ve known for a long time that alcohol increases the risk of cancers, is terrible for the gut (my favorite reason for avoiding it), and kills brain cells. On the other hand, there was some evidence that small amounts of alcohol had positive benefits to one’s health. For instance, some time ago, I read that one glass of wine can improve cholesterol levels.
Of course this was music to alcohol drinkers’ ears. Now they could drink alcohol and it was healthy! However, whether the health benefits outweighed the risks was always important to consider. I always inform people of the dangers of alcohol (what I could tell you about what it does to the digestive tract…). It is my job. My clients don’t have to follow my recommendations but I am not doing anyone any favors by sugar coating the truth.
Well, I wanted to bring you the latest study in The Lancet. They studied alcohol use and burden in 195 countries and territories. The conclusion: No amount of alcohol is good for you. Alcohol use increased risk factors for disease (especially cancer, but heart disease too!) and premature death (this includes traffic accidents and violence). Even small amounts contributed to health loss; even the lowest levels of alcohol consumption increase risks.
“The level of alcohol that minimized harm across health outcomes was zero” -The Lancet
People will continue to drink alcohol. However, now we can be even more informed about the health consequences of any amount of alcohol consumption.