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Is Drinking Bad or Good for Health? |
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Written by Superhuman
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Wednesday, 23 January 2008 |
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Health experts give us plenty of advice about weight loss, daily physical activity, trans and saturated fats, and smoking, but don’t say much about alcohol consumption.
They are torn between alcohol’s health-promoting and destructive effects. Moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, dementia and osteoporosis, but high intake increases the risk of some cancers, domestic violence, traffic accidents, absenteeism and sexual abuse. British researchers found a direct dose-response relationship between alcohol consumption and risk of death in women aged 16-54 and in men aged 16-34. Should people drink alcohol or not? Those with a family history of alcohol abuse or breast cancer, or problems of substance abuse, should avoid alcohol. One-half to one serving of alcohol per day provides the maximum health benefit for people with normal abuse potential and low breast cancer risk. (British Medical Journal, 332: 1244-1248, 2006; British Medical Journal, 325: 191,2002)
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