Alcohol: Better a little than not at all?

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MunichIt seems paradoxical: People who drink moderately alcohol not only have a lower risk of death than people who drink a lot - but also as abstainers. This is again confirmed by a large European study. In particular, the risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases is reduced in moderate drinkers. Nevertheless, abstainers should not necessarily reach for the bottle now: The researchers do not believe that moderate alcohol consumption strengthens health, but suspect other connections. "We do not assume any causal connection," says Manuela Bergmann, first author of the new study.

Alcohol consumption for years

Bergmann and her colleagues examined the drinking behavior of more than 380,000 men and women from eight European countries. Participants answered questions about their alcohol consumption at ages 20, 30, 40, 50 and when they were studying. Men who drank less than one glass of alcohol per week and women who consumed less than half a glass a day were referred to as “little drinkers”. Men who consumed more than five glasses of alcohol per day and women who consumed more than two and a half glasses of alcohol per day were considered to be “heavy drinkers”.

Moderate drinkers

Moderate drinkers had the lowest risk of premature death. These are men who drink regularly, but on average do not consume more than the recommended amount of alcohol of less than 24 grams, and women who do not drink more than twelve grams of alcohol per day. As part of the study, they had a nine to 14 percent lower risk of death. However, this only applied to healthy people without previous illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer, as well as heart attacks or strokes. The reason: People who consume alcohol in moderation tend to lead an overall moderate and healthy lifestyle. The results thus support the assumption that healthy people can cope with moderate amounts of alcohol without major adverse effects on their health.

Unhealthy lifestyle

In contrast, heavy drinkers usually live an overall unhealthy lifestyle. They smoke more often, eat more meat and fewer fruits and vegetables. In addition, there are the health consequences of high alcohol consumption. This was also reflected in life expectancy: The risk of heavy drinkers of dying from alcohol-related causes of death such as pancreatitis or accidents was seven times higher. Their risk of dying from coronary heart disease, cancer, or another disease was 1.2 to 1.8 times higher than the average. This also applied to former heavy drinkers.

Even those who don't drink much are more likely to die

But also light drinkers apparently have a higher risk of premature death than moderate drinkers. The researchers suspect that these statistical figures are due to the fact that among the infrequent drinkers and abstainers there are also some who do not drink for health reasons. "Regardless of their alcohol consumption, this group can have a higher risk of illness or death, so that abstaining from alcohol is only an indication of another problem," says the scientist. Study leader Bergmann also considers the hypothesis that flavonoids in red wine have a protective effect on the heart to be unrealistic. "You can't drink so much red wine that the good plant substances can take effect," she told (vv)

Source: Bergmann, M. et al. The association of pattern of lifetime alcohol use and cause of death in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study; Int. J. Epidemiol. 42: 1772-1790. doi: 10.1093 / ije / dyt154

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