A major study of alcohol consumption has confirmed the long-term health dangers but also found some good news for moderate wine drinkers.
The study, reported by Science Daily this week, found people with high alcohol consumption were 24 percent more likely to die from any cause than non-drinkers or occasional drinkers.
This group were also 36 percent more likely to die from cancer and 14 percent more likely to die from heart disease.
A report by the American College of Cardiology said that differences in risk by alcohol type emerged at low and moderate levels of consumption.
“Drinking spirits, beer or cider was associated with a significantly higher risk of death while the same level of wine consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of death,” the report said.
“Looking at deaths from cardiovascular disease in particular, researchers found that moderate wine drinkers had a 21 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with never or occasional drinkers.
“By contrast, even low intake of spirits, beer or cider was associated with a nine percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with drinking never or occasionally.”
The study used data from 340,000 British adults who took part in the long-tern UK Biobank survey between 2006 and 2022.
The researchers said certain compounds found in red wine, such as polyphenols and antioxidants, may have benefits for cardiovascular health.
Wine was also more likely to be consumed with meals and by people who have higher-quality diets and healthier behaviors in general.
In contrast, spirits, beer and cider were more likely to be consumed outside of meals and were associated with lower overall diet quality and other lifestyle risk factors.
Senior study author Zhangling Chen, MD, PhD, a professor at the Second Xiangya Hospital in China, said the results come from the general population so alcohol risks could be even higher among people with chronic diseases or cardiovascular conditions.
“Our findings help clarify previously mixed evidence on low to moderate alcohol consumption,” Dr Chen said.
“These findings can help refine guidance, emphasising that the health risks of alcohol depend not only on the amount of alcohol consumed, but also on the type of beverage.
“Even low to moderate intake of spirits, beer or cider is linked to higher mortality, while low to moderate intake of wine may carry lower risk.”
Each study participant completed a dietary questionnaire when they enrolled in the study and were grouped into four categories based on their alcohol intake.
People consuming less than 20g (about 1.5 standard drinks) per week were classified as never or occasional drinkers.
Men consuming between 20g per week and 20g per day and women consuming between 20g per week and 10g per day were considered to have low alcohol consumption.
Daily consumption of 20g to 40g (about 1.5 to three standard drinks) for men and 10g to 20g for women was considered moderate.
Daily consumption of more than 40g (about three drinks) for men and 20g (about 1.5 drinks) for women was considered high. Health outcomes were tracked for over 13 years on average.
The Science Daily report is here and the original study report is here
