April 3, 2023 -- A new study shows light to moderate drinking doesn’t provide any health benefits, despite the widespread belief that having a glass or two of alcohol can be good for a person’s health.
Scientists at the University of Victoria in Canada looked at 107 studies that examined the health of more than 4.8 million people, according to the study published in JAMA Network Open. The researchers concluded that moderate drinkers didn’t have a lower mortality risk than non-drinkers.
“Low-volume alcohol drinking was not associated with protection against death from all causes,” the study concluded.
The study also found “significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality” among females who consumed 25 or more grams of alcohol daily and males who consumed 45 or more grams per day.
How many drinks is that?
In the United States, the CDC defines a standard drink as having about 14 grams of alcohol. That amount is usually found in 12 ounces of beer with 5% alcohol content, 8 ounces of malt liquor with 7% alcohol content, 5 ounces of wine with 12% alcohol content, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor with 40% alcohol content, such as gin, rum, vodka, whiskey.
Tim Stockwell, the lead researcher, told NBC News that evidence of health benefits in alcohol is “increasingly weak," adding, “We just need to be very skeptical of scientific evidence or scientific studies suggesting there are health benefits."
Some previous research said people who drink moderately are less likely to die of heart disease and other health problems than heavy drinkers or abstainers.
But more recent research has found overall health risks in any amount of drinking. Earlier this year, the World Health Organization said that “when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.”
