A new study published by The Lancet says that the only safe amount of alcohol is no alcohol, but before you throw out all your beer, let’s look at the results. The study, which was was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, did a meta-analysis of 694 data sets collected between 1990 and 2016 on alcohol consumption and 592 studies on the health risks of alcohol use, reports The Daily Beast.
The Lancet authors said that consuming 10 grams of alcohol (about half a shot) per day was the biggest risk for death and diseases in humans between the ages of 15 and 49. They also said that alcohol was the source of one in 10 deaths around the world, killing an estimated 2.8 million people globally in that time period. This isn’t the first time that alcohol has been associated to health problems, but we shouldn’t take it as the final word for those deciding on what wine to have with dinner.
The analysis says that alcohol is a contributor to various conditions and diseases that can lead to death. It can increase the likelihood that someone will engage in violence and self-harm, get involved in car accidents, or suffer “unintentional injuries.” Alcohol can weaken your immune system. So basically, the study does not say that drinking alcohol in moderation will kill you, it just says that alcohol is associated with death and disease. The Daily Beast writes that we shouldn’t forget that there have been health benefits associated with alcohol such as moderate drinking has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
