Alcohol, Zero Tolerance?

According to a recent study, drinking a single glass of wine or beer a day can pose a risk to your health.

Alarming numbers on the dangers of alcohol ...

The study by the medical journal The Lancet, assesses levels of alcohol consumption and their effects on health in 195 countries between 1990 and 2016. According to the study, alcohol has caused no less than 2.8 million deaths in 2016; one in three alcohol consumers die from alcohol-related health problems each year, of which 2.2% are women and 6.8% are men.

In 2016, alcohol use was the seventh risk factor for premature death and disability worldwide. Drinking one drink a day for one year increases by .5%, among those aged 15 to 95 years, the risk of developing any of the 23 health problems related to alcohol (cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cirrhosis, accidents, violence, etc.), say the authors in comparison with non-drinkers.

Alcohol consumption in 2016 is the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 49 (road accidents, suicides, tuberculosis ...). Alcohol is associated with almost one in 10 deaths in this age group. 

A Glass Is Not Insignificant

Dr. Emmanuela Gakidou of the Institute of Metrology and Health Evaluation (IHME, University of Washington), co-author of the study, does not mince words: "This corresponds to an excess mortality of 100,000 dead a year in the  
world for a drink a day ". According to her, there are "clear and convincing correlations between alcohol consumption and premature death, cancer and cardiovascular problems ."

"It is a myth that one or two drinks a day are good for you... only zero alcohol minimizes the overall risk of disease."

On average, the highest number of alcoholic beverages (wine, beer, spirits ...) consumed per day is recorded among men in Romania (8.2) followed by Portugal and Luxembourg (7.3 each). For women, the most significant are Ukraine (4.2), Andorra and Luxembourg (3.4 each).

A Counter-Opinion In Favor Of Moderate Alcohol Consumption

"Given the pleasure associated with moderate consumption, to say that there is no" safe "level does not seem to be a realistic sustainable argument," said Sir David Spiegelhalter, a statistician, professor for public understanding of risk at the University of Cambridge. Driving is never 100% safe, but "the government does not recommend people to avoid driving". "Thinking about it, there is no safe standard of living, but nobody would recommend abstention," he jokes.

Do you allow yourself a drink from time to time? Have you noticed any affects, good or bad from alcohol consumption?