According to a federal assessment issued Tuesday, consuming just one alcoholic beverage per day is associated with numerous detrimental health repercussions.
A daily drink was linked to a lower risk of ischemic stroke but a higher risk of liver cirrhosis, several malignancies, and injuries, according to the findings, which are applicable to both men and women. However, occasional binge drinking negates that seeming protection.
According to Stanford University psychiatry professor Keith Humphreys, the notion that having one drink per day, if you’re a woman, or two drinks per day, if you’re a man, will make you healthier and longer-lived on average is untrue.
According to him, there isn’t a point at which it is advantageous. There doesn’t appear to be a point at which there is no risk at all.
The second of two government reports on alcohol, it was produced by a group within the Department of Health and Human Services. According to the first, which was conducted by a committee at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published last month, moderate drinking was associated with a higher risk of breast cancer but a decreased chance of death from heart disease and death from any cause.
The government commissioned both studies in advance of this year’s revision of the federal dietary guidelines, which may include new suggestions about alcohol intake.
According to Humphreys, the guidelines’ suggested alcohol intake has to be reevaluated. As of right now, they advise ladies to limit their daily alcohol intake to one drink, while men should limit theirs to two.
56 systematic reviews on the connection between alcohol and health were examined in the new report.
According to the authors, Americans who consume more than seven drinks per week or at least one drink per day run a 1 in 1,000 risk of passing away. If they consume more than nine drinks each week, the risk increases to 1 in 100.
According to the findings, people who consume alcohol had a higher chance of dying from seven different types of cancer, including colorectal, breast, liver, and numerous cancers of the mouth and throat.
Because of that connection, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy stated earlier this month that alcoholic beverages ought to be labeled with a cancer risk warning.
Dr. Ahmed Tawakol, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, stated, “What’s clear to me is that there is an association with cancer and that there is not a dose of alcohol for which the cancer risk goes down.”
The study also revealed that among adolescents and young people aged 15 to 20, the risk of alcohol-related fatality increased with alcohol consumption, primarily as a result of injuries or auto accidents. In this age range, occurrences involving alcohol were a leading cause of death.
After a 30-day public comment period, the report will be sent to Congress.
The updated dietary guidelines are anticipated to be released by the end of the year, and both reports will assist the Agriculture Department and the Department of Health and Human Services in finalizing them.
According to Tawakol, one of the things I advise my patients to do for their health is to avoid drinking alcohol. Don’t start drinking to improve your health if you’re already abstinent.
Other than drinking, there are other strategies to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, according to Jane Figueiredo, a cancer epidemiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. It’s crucial to consider the big picture, including the advantages and disadvantages for your overall health, mental health, and well-being.