Are the health benefits of alcohol all a lie?
In the news health front today I read an article that has stated that the health benefits of drinking alcohol may be hugely exaggerated. This newest study has said that there does not seem to be a correlation between moderate drinking and good health and that in contrast with many studies moderate drinking may be detrimental to many individuals.
The newest research was published in The Journal of Gerontology and the research stated that better health resulted more from the socio-economic differences and status as opposed to drinking habits. Essentially, the study says that people of higher socioeconomic status tend to drink more often but they also have more access to better health care. The study focused on older adults and when the researchers controlled the social economic status the relationship between moderate drinking and health was much smaller for women and non-existent for men.
Honestly, the biggest find from this research was who is more likely to be moderate drinkers. For me at least, I did not find it surprising that individuals who tended to be wealthier were also more likely to be moderate drinkers. These same individuals are more likely to lead more health-conscious lifestyles.
The consensus based on the results was older adults need to be more aware of the potential hazards of drinking alcohol. Most individuals know that the alcohol negatively affects the liver especially in high amounts or over a prolonged periods of time. Yet most individuals do not know that a lot of alcohol consumption over a long time could possibly cause the heart muscles to weaken or even damage neurotransmitters leading to the brain which could cause many mental issues such as depression, anxiety, memory-less and in severe cases even seizures.
The impact of this research I believe is for people who drink on a daily basis to consider the amount that they drink and to make sure that they are not consuming too much alcohol that could cause health issues later on down the road. Because if this research ends up being truer than what we've been taught about alcohol there may be little or no health benefits to drinking.
Sources
Health Benefits Of Alcohol Are Exaggerated And Likely Non-Existent, Suggests Study
Moderate drinking may not be so good for health after all
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Thanks for posting such an interesting article. Good, information and thought worthy.
Thank you I did find it very interesting.
Love the mention of socioeconomic status, totally agree. My twenty something liver is just sad to hear that there are no benefits to drinking vodka on the rocks!
Yes my early 20s liver is also very sad!