Moderate consumption of alcohol harms human health – research analysis
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Consumption of alcohol in any amount has a harmful effect on the human body. Many studies that moderate alcohol consumption is beneficial have been found to be false due to flawed methodology, writes The New York Times with reference to a report published in JAMA Network Open. More than 100 scientific studies conducted over the past 40 years indicate that moderate alcohol consumption has a more positive effect on human health than its absence at all. However, during the analysis of these studies, many of them were found to have flawed methodology, which affected their results. Photo: AndrewLozovyi/Depositphotos Most of the studies were observational, that is, they could reveal the effect of alcohol on the human body, but did not prove cause-and-effect relationships. Also, scientists say that old studies did not take into account that people who drink alcohol moderately have many other healthy habits, and people who do not drink alcohol at all quit drinking after health problems. “If you compare an unhealthy group with those who continue to drink, today, people who drink alcohol appear to be healthier and have lower mortality,” says Tim Stockwell, one of the authors of the report. The report notes that the risk of premature death increases significantly for women if they drink 25 grams of alcohol per day and for men with 45 grams of alcohol per day. After the scientists corrected the errors in the research methodology, Tim Stockwell said, “the estimated health benefit of drinking alcohol is reduced dramatically and becomes statistically insignificant.” Also, in his opinion, comparing those who drink alcohol moderately and those who do not drink at all is wrong for many other reasons. Photo: olgasweet/Depositphotos People who completely abstain from drinking alcohol are a minority. Those who do not use it for religious reasons, most often have low incomes and health problems: chronic diseases, disability. At the same time, according to the scientist, people who drink alcohol in moderation are mostly richer, more often do sports and watch their diet. “They have a lot of things that protect their health that have nothing to do with their alcohol consumption,” Stockwell said. Where does the idea that moderate alcohol consumption comes from? It was first talked about in 1924, when a John Hopkins biologist named Raymond Pearl published a graph showing that people who drink alcohol moderately have the lowest mortality rate. Also, in recent decades there is an opinion that wine, especially red wine, is good for health. At the same time, over the years, the hypothesis of moderate alcohol consumption has come under increasing criticism. In particular, because it turned out that alcohol companies participated in the financing of research. New research has found that even moderate alcohol consumption, including red wine, can contribute to the development of breast cancer. Also, moderate alcohol consumption affects blood pressure and can lead to cardiac arrhythmia. We previously reported that alcohol consumption can accelerate the development of Alzheimer’s. Read also: Alcohol is not a sedative. Why is it necessary to give up drinking during war?
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