HealthScience Daily

Just two drinks a day may be far riskier than you think

A major new study found that drinking just two alcoholic drinks a day gives you a 1 in 25 lifetime risk of dying from an alcohol-related cause, which is higher than most people assume.

A major new study reveals that drinking just two alcoholic beverages a day is associated with a 1 in 25 lifetime risk of death from alcohol-related causes, challenging the idea that moderate drinking is harmless. Researchers also found no significant overall health benefits from alcohol, with risks rising as consumption increases.

The Long Sip
What happened

A large study originally commissioned by the US federal government found that averaging two alcoholic drinks a day carries a 1 in 25 lifetime risk of dying from alcohol-related causes.

The detail

Researchers reviewed more than 7,200 scientific publications and found that staying under seven drinks a week was linked to only small increases in risk for most health conditions.

What it means

Lead author Kevin Shield said even low levels of alcohol use carry health risks and that risk keeps rising the more someone drinks, challenging the idea that moderate drinking is harmless.

For you

The study found that keeping to under seven drinks a week was linked to only small increases in health risk, so that is a useful benchmark to discuss with your GP.

Full story at Science Daily

What readers are saying

marie69
It is interesting that the researchers found no significant overall health benefits even at low levels, as the potential heart benefits are outweighed by the increased cancer risks once you look at the full range of outcomes. This quantitative framework shows that the one drink a day for women and two for men from previous guidelines were actually associated with a substantially elevated risk of premature death.
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