Scientists now assert that anyone over the age of 40 can safely consume one glass of wine or one bottle of beer each day and that doing so may even be beneficial.
And they say that drinking two alcoholic beverages per night is unlikely to do long-term harm to their health.
The study, published in The Lancet, is the most recent piece of evidence — amid an ongoing controversy — that drinking in moderation is safe.
Adults have been confused for years by a series of contradictory research.
Researchers from Washington University, who determined the amount of alcohol a person can consume before putting their health in danger, maintain that drinking in moderation provides health benefits for middle-aged persons.
They assert that alcohol can protect against heart disease and type 2 diabetes, hence preventing an early demise.
According to scientists, moderate alcohol use can increase levels of beneficial cholesterol and antioxidants in the blood, hence promoting heart health.
It is also believed to reduce blood glucose levels and increase adiponectin levels, a hormone that increases insulin sensitivity and protects against type 2 diabetes.
Although those over 40 have been permitted to imbibe, those under 40 have been told to abstain.
It gives individuals no health benefits and “presents several health dangers,” increasing their chance of injury, automobile accidents, and suicide, according to the study.
Young males were advised to consume no more than 10ml of wine (two teaspoons) or 38ml of beer (a small shot glass), whilst ladies were permitted to consume two tablespoons of wine or 100ml of beer.
The principal author of the study, Dr. Emmanuela Gakidou, stated that elderly people “may benefit from drinking small amounts” but younger ones “should not drink.”
She stated, “While it may be unrealistic to expect young adults to abstain from drinking, we believe it is essential to share the most recent evidence so that everyone may make educated decisions about their health.”
Currently, Britons are advised to consume no more than 14 units each week, which is roughly equivalent to six pints of beer or ten small glasses of wine.
The research on the hazards and benefits of alcohol consumption to health has yielded varied results.
According to studies, abstainers are more likely to die prematurely than those who consume alcohol in moderation.
However, excessive drinking can increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, and liver disease.
Furthermore, researchers have suggested that light consumption is hazardous because it has been related to cancer and poor brain health. It has encouraged some to advocate total abstinence from alcohol.
Alcohol drinking is believed to have caused the deaths of approximately 1.78 million persons worldwide in 2020, with men aged 15 to 49 being most at risk.
Researchers from Washington University studied the Global Burden of Disease database, which covers global health information and trends.
Using this information, a model was developed to determine when the hazards of drinking outweighed the advantages.
Before posing a concern, those aged 40 to 64 can have between half and two standard drinks per day, defined as those containing 10g of pure ethanol.
Those older than 65 may have up to 3.5 drinks per day without experiencing a decline in health.
One normal drink is similar to a small glass of red wine, a can or bottle of beer, or a shot of whisky or other spirits, according to the researchers.
Men aged 15 to 39 were limited to 0.136 drinks per day, which is equivalent to 10ml of wine (two teaspoons) or 38ml of beer (one small shot glass).
Women in the cohort could consume 0.273 drinks, which is roughly equivalent to two tablespoons of wine or 100ml of beer.
The authors noted, “Any level of drinking increases the likelihood of injury, although little doses of alcohol reduce the risk of some illnesses prevalent in older ages, such as ischemic heart disease and diabetes.”
Young people were shown to be the most susceptible to alcohol-related problems.
Six out of ten dangerous alcohol drinkers were between the ages of 15 and 39, with 1 billion men and 300 million women.
Alcohol abuse was most prevalent among young males in Australasia, Western Europe, and the heart of Europe.
Regardless of geography, age, or gender, the recommended alcohol intake for adults remained modest at zero to 1.87 standard drinks per day.
Dr. Gakidou stated, “Although the dangers associated with alcohol intake are comparable for males and females, young boys stood out as the group with the highest prevalence of harmful alcohol consumption.”
This is because a greater proportion of men than women consume alcohol, and their average intake is likewise much higher.
The researchers cautioned that their findings on alcohol risk were based on data that did not differentiate between individuals who consumed alcohol over a period of days and those who engaged in binge drinking.
And since alcohol consumption was self-reported, the data may contain errors, they noted.
Dana Bryazka, a researcher at the university’s Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation and the study’s lead author, stated, ‘Even if the lowest level of safe consumption is used in alcohol guidelines, the results indicate that the recommended level of alcohol consumption is still too high for younger populations.’
