Many people think that having a glass of wine with lunch – or in general a moderate consumption of any type of alcohol – protects against heart attack and other cardiovascular risks. However, a thorough analysis of the available evidence disproves that idea, according to a new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs . In recent years, various investigations have reported that adults who drink in moderation have a lower rate of heart disease than non-drinkers. That has spread the belief that alcohol in small amounts is heart-healthy.
But a review of 45 previous studies brings to light the flaws in that premise. A key aspect is that those who appear as “non-drinkers” may be former drinkers who have quit for health reasons and that adults who are healthy tend to continue enjoying their glass of wine at meals.
According to Tim Stockwell, director of the Center for Addiction Research at the University of Victoria in British Columbia (Canada), “we know that often people stop drinking as they age, especially if they have health problems. Those who can allowing them to continue being moderate drinkers in old age is because they are in good health . They do not suffer from diseases and therefore do not have to take drugs incompatible with alcohol “.
In their analyzes, Stockwell and his team found that the death rate from heart disease among moderate drinkers – two drinks of alcohol a day – was indeed lower than that of nondrinkers. However, this did not happen when the object of the investigations were relatively young drinkers – 55 years or younger – in whom the consequences of their habit could manifest themselves at older ages, when heart attacks and other heart ailments usually strike. In general, there were no health benefits seen from moderate drinking . For Stockwell, all of this suggests that abstainers tend to be in poorer health than moderate drinkers, but not because they have never drunk. Quite the contrary: it is their poor health that makes them stop drinking. And while you acknowledge that they cannot test this hypothesis, there is reason to be skeptical that moderate drinking is good.
In their research carried out with 9,100 adults aged 23 to 55 in the UK, they found that the drinking habits of the majority evolved over time and that almost all of those who did not drink at 55 were former drinkers who they had left it. In any case, Stockwell concludes that the risks of modern drinking are small but that this should not lead one to think that drinking is preferable because it is good for health.
On the other hand, another recent study by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) indicates that a single glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage a day increases the risk of breast cancer . In contrast, intense exercise, such as running or cycling, reduces the risk of this same tumor both in the premenopausal phase and in menopause. According to the study’s lead author, Anne McTiernan of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, leading a physically active life, watching your weight, and limiting alcohol are recommended steps for all women to prevent breast cancer risk.
His research analyzed 119 previous studies with data from 12 million women and 260,000 cases of breast cancer.
