In April, a study claiming to have identified a link between alcohol consumption and mortality risk hit the media like a storm. The coverage originated from the Lancet, a journal that the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) has called out for showing “a worrisome trend in sensationalizing unremarkable research.” The Guardian and other major media outlets then published reports saying each “extra glass of wine [or beer] a day ‘will shorten your life by 30 minutes.'”
According to ASCH, that study was nonsense. A new study published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal, shows the exact opposite.
“[P]eople who drink 15 to 29.9 grams per day (roughly two drinks) had almost the exact same risk of death as those who had one drink per day. This directly refutes the sensationalist study reported earlier,” ACSH reports.
People who drink too much alcohol, roughly three drinks per day, have a 25 percent higher risk of death compared to the baseline, roughly one drink per day. Also notable, though, is the group that drinks no alcohol has an even higher risk of death, approximately 27 percent.
Like we always say, and the ACSH concludes, “There is absolutely nothing wrong with moderate alcohol consumption. Indeed, it can be integrated into a healthy lifestyle.”
Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have some Mint Juleps and Mexican lagers to drink. Happy Derby de Mayo.
