Don’t be fooled! There is no evidence to suggest that moderate drinking can lengthen one’s life. This is according to a new report from the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
We keep hearing about different studies that say contradicting things about moderate drinking. Some say a glass of wine a day – specifically red wine – can be good for you. Others say that even just a few drinks a week is bad for your health. So, who should we believe?
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For years, the notion that moderate alcohol consumption could be a health elixir has been widely accepted. Numerous studies suggested that moderate drinkers enjoyed greater longevity and lower risks of heart disease compared to abstainers. However, this rosy picture has been challenged. Recent research is casting doubt on these findings, suggesting that previous studies may have overlooked critical factors.
The first thing you need to know about such studies is that most of the ones you hear about in the news are not really worth the paper that they are printed on. Studies that say things like “moderate drinking helps immune system,” or “red wine can help avert heart attacks,” might make for great headlines, but rarely are they accurate. Only studies from serious scientists- ones not funded by a private organization with a financial interest in the outcome – and that follow the basic rules of scientific research should be believed. And even then, the study authors always remind people that more research is needed before anything definitive can be learned.
As for the studies on moderate drinking, the researchers explain that they primarily focused on older populations and failed to consider individuals’ drinking patterns throughout their lives. Consequently, moderate drinkers were compared to “abstainer” and “occasional drinker” groups that included older adults who might have reduced or quit drinking due to developing various health issues.
Lead researcher Tim Stockwell, Ph.D., a scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria explained, “If you look at the weakest studies that’s where you see health benefits.”
For their analysis, Stockwell and his colleagues identified 107 published studies that followed people over time and looked at the relationship between drinking habits and longevity. When the researchers combined all the data, it looked like light to moderate drinkers (that is, those who drank between one drink per week and two per day) had a 14% lower risk of dying during the study period compared with abstainers.
Things changed, however, when the investigators did a deeper dive. There were a handful of “higher quality” studies that included people who were relatively young at the outset (younger than 55, on average) and that made sure former and occasional drinkers were not considered “abstainers.” In those studies, moderate drinking was not linked to a longer life.
“There is simply no completely ‘safe’ level of drinking,” Stockwell said.
The definition of moderate drinking varies. For women it is defined as no more than one drink per day and for men no more than two drinks per day. However, it’s essential to note that these are guidelines and individual tolerance varies widely.
