Moderate Drinking Won't Hurt Most People

Long-Term Use of Statins May Protect Eyes

June 14, 2004 -- Drinking alcohol is fine; just keep it moderate. That advice comes from a new government study.

"Two drinks daily for men -- and one drink for women -- are unlikely to cause problems in people without identifiable risks," lead researcher Lorraine Gunzerath, PhD, MBA, an epidemiologist with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, tells WebMD.

"We're not encouraging people to drink," she says. "But if you're a low or moderate drinker, it's not necessary to stop. We used to say, 'If you have heart problems, if you have diabetes, stop drinking.' That's not true anymore.'"

However, women with a family history of breast cancer -- or who take estrogen replacement therapy -- may get an increased risk from drinking alcohol, Gunzerath says.

The American Cancer Society has a strong stand on this issue.

"I think the evidence is pretty clear, if we look at larger, prospective, carefully done studies, that drinking alcohol does increase risk of breast cancer," Heather Spencer Feigelson, PhD, senior epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society, tells WebMD.

"It's a small increased risk, but it's there," Feigelson says. "Laboratory studies have suggested the mechanism -- when you consume alcohol, there is a rise in estrogen levels. There are benefits to heart disease. But drinking is something that women need to think twice about and discuss with their doctors."

Investigating the Issue

Gunzerath's report is a synthesis of virtually all published data -- literally thousands of studies of alcohol's effects on health, she tells WebMD. It appears in this month's issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

In part, it responds to the nation's doctors who have asked how to advise their patients. "In the last three or four years, all these studies have been coming out, particularly about heart disease benefits from drinking alcohol. Patients have asked their doctors, 'Should I start drinking? Should I drink more?'" says Gunzerath.

Conflicting studies about breast cancer and drinking have also produced a clouded picture. Women don't know what they can do -- whether having a drink or two is OK or not.

Many studies on alcohol consumption describe their results in terms of numbers of drinks or grams of alcohol. This can differ with the type of drink and the serving size. In her report, Gunzerath uses one drink to describe the effects of 15 grams of alcohol.

In reviewing all the studies, Gunzerath's research group found:

Compared with nondrinkers, there seems to be a 10% increase in breast cancer risk in women who consume on average one drink a day. The risk may be higher for women with a family history of breast cancer and for those taking hormone replacement therapy.

Regarding overall health, moderate drinking -- one to two drinks a day:

Does not seem to increase risk of overall health problems
Does not seem to increase risk of heart failure, heart attack, or strokes caused by blood clots. In fact, moderate alcohol consumption seems to protect against these health problems.
Seems to reduce risk of diabetes and insulin resistance. However, it's thus far unproven whether moderate drinking is linked with weight gain/obesity.
Does not seem to harm the brain's thinking ability; in fact, it may help protect against some types of dementia.