Expert's View Health

 Can you consume all alcohol types? 

In this article you learn whether all alcohol types can be consumed. Health proffesionals say when it comes to your health alcohol isn’t good in any way.
According to recent studies by Experts of Oxford University in England
“no safe dose for alcohol consumption”
 
The observational study looked at data from more than 25,000 middle-aged adults. The study found that moderate consumption is more closely associated with adverse effects on the brain than was previously known. They found that alcohol was negatively associated with global brain gray matter volume. Also, individuals with comorbidities like high blood pressure and a high BMI, or those who binge drink, may be more susceptible to these adverse effects.
 
No doctor would advise drinking alcohol strictly for its health benefits. But moderate consumption defined as no more than one drink per day for women and two for men has been considered low risk, possibly even good for you. Yet last year, the expert advisory committee for the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans took a more cautionary position, recommending that the daily limit be lowered to one drink for men.
 
“We realized that the risks of alcohol have probably been underestimated,” says committee member Timothy Naimi, director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. “If you drink alcohol, less is better for your health than drinking more.”

Experts are mixed on the benefits of alcohol, but they are clear on the harm of too much drinking. Binge drinking can increase the risk for high blood pressure, stroke, and congestive heart failure. Experts also agree that alcohol is a proven cause of several kinds of cancer, including breast and liver cancer.

“Alcohol is associated with dementia. Even moderate intake can affect brain dementia,” said Kenechukwu Mazue, a nuclear cardiology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “There’s really no safe level.”

While Mazue has seen studies that suggest that wine may have health benefits, he counsels patients to stay within limits set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“For those who don’t drink, I don’t ask them to start” because of the potential for alcohol dependency.

Shivendra Shukla, PhD, the Margaret Proctor Mulligan Professor of medical pharmacology and physiology at the University of Missouri in Columbia, warns even a small amount of alcohol can be damaging.

Shukla has researched binge drinking and chronic drinking over the last 25 years.

“Alcoholic consumption in any amount is bad,” Shukla said. Alcohol has a domino effect. Alcohol is a very mysterious chemical. Once in the body, it has multiple pathways by which it can exert damaging effects. It’s just like a cluster bomb. The consequences can be very injurious.”

A different view for alcohol consumption

Dr. Jeanette Tetrault, a professor of medicine and addiction specialist at the Yale School of Medicine, takes a more measured view of alcohol consumption.

“We know that there are negative health effects related to alcohol consumption,” she said. “We know there are situations where any drinking can have negative health effects, including for populations such as pregnant women, adolescents. Our messaging as providers needs to be to look at individual circumstances and assess the risk and health effects of individuals. Abstinence-only does not work. We’ve seen public health campaigns like that fail in the past.”

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Subin Joshua
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Author: Hi there, my name is Subin Joshua, and I am a Medical student. I grew up in a family of teachers and know that being a social worker is my calling. My passion for helping others has been evident in my involvement in helping the poor and needy for the last three years. Through those experiences, I have learned to interact with a diverse group of people, which has increased my ability to relate to others.