2024-07-26 16:41:18
Skepticism has permeated the scientific community: observational studies have shown that people who drink alcohol in moderation live longer and have fewer health problems than those who don’t. Scientists now say that previous data may have been misleading.
Publicized claims about alcohol’s health benefits are based on shoddy research, which can distort perceptions of alcohol’s effects, they say.
Scientists say that after taking a closer look at the data from previous studies, they have found that claims about alcohol’s health and longevity benefits are seriously inflated.
The new study provides a stronger foundation for a growing movement that emphasizes that meaningful leisure time does not require alcohol. The authors emphasize the need for stricter standards for research examining the health effects of alcohol consumption to avoid sending the wrong message to the public.
Identified gaps in previous research
A study conducted last year announced that no evidence was found that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of mortality. Critics, often associated with the alcohol industry, had their objections.
In response, the weaknesses and biases of previous studies linking moderate alcohol consumption to health benefits have been thoroughly assessed.
Analysis published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs included 107 observational studies that included more than 4.8 million participants, including 425,564 recorded deaths. However, studies involving individuals with certain medical conditions or problematic drinking habits were not included.
Basically, the researchers assessed the quality of previous studies.
They noted that higher standard work found that moderate drinkers had a similar mortality risk to those who did not drink at all.
This suggests that moderate alcohol consumption has no longevity benefit.
Moderate alcohol consumption was defined as consumption of 1-14 standard units of alcohol per week.
The researchers found that less reliable were studies that included more elderly people and misclassified people who had previously drunk alcohol but had given it up as abstinent.
Thus, such studies did not take into account previous habits, which skewed the overall picture. Claims about the health benefits of alcohol have been supported by the fact that former alcoholics live shorter lives than moderate drinkers.
The researchers concluded that apparent flaws in the research may have led to the emergence of claims about the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption for longevity.
Biases prevalent in lower-quality studies can distort the public’s understanding of the health risks of alcohol.
WHO: There is no safe level of alcohol
“There is increasing evidence that moderate alcohol consumption does not significantly increase life expectancy and may pose health risks, including an increased risk of cancer, heart and neurodegenerative diseases,” said Thomas M. Holland, a doctor and researcher at Rush University in Chicago (USA), who was not involved in the preparation of the discussed analysis. .
He emphasized that no influential health organization has ever confirmed that drinking alcohol in certain amounts can be harmless.
in 2023 At the beginning, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that “when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.”
Need to give up alcohol completely?
Specialists emphasized that the controversy about the effects of alcohol on health has caused confusion.
As research increasingly highlights the negative effects and lack of significant benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption, experts are indeed advocating for a life without alcohol at a time when temperance movements are gaining strength in various countries.
in 2023 New recommendations on alcohol consumption introduced in Canada. A new “low risk” limit of two standard alcoholic drinks per week has been defined.
It is believed that in 2025 Stricter recommendations on alcohol consumption will be introduced in the US.
However, according to specialists, doctors should already be more active in telling patients about the health damage caused by alcohol.
“For clinicians, this study suggests the need to be critical of alcohol use research and to be cautious in advocating any use of alcohol, including moderate amounts, for health benefits.”
Public messages should emphasize that no level of alcohol consumption is completely safe, as even small amounts of alcohol can contribute to cardiovascular and progressive neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and multiple sclerosis.”
Parengta pagal „Medical News Today“ inf.
2024-07-26 16:41:18