Text Credit: Shibul Pavithran 

‘Drinking alcohol is injurious to health’, is the very popular statutory warning seen almost ‘everywhere’. But let’s change it a bit and say drinking excess amounts of alcohol is injurious to health. Drinking for some may be out of mere addiction and for some its just due to a casual event or occasion happening. If there’s one thing that tends to blur the line between friend and foe, it’s alcohol. One glass of wine or beer can easily be morph into two to three and so on.  Instead of drinking like crazy on weekends, let’s try drinking in less often so we don’t have to face any problems … it’s like changing your favourite song from ‘Saturday Night‘ ( Whigfield) to ‘Staying Alive’ (Bee Gees). Yes, let’s try working the sober way out with some fun.    

Drinking about two glasses of wine or beer a day was linked to an 18% drop in a person’s risk of early death—an even stronger effect than the life-preserving practice of exercise The results came from the 90+ Study, a research project out of the University of California Irvine’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders that examines the habits of people who live to at least 90.

Though the study has not yet been published in a scientific journal, it triggered a spate of booze-praising headlines. But can alcohol actually help you live longer? Researchers have gone back and forth on that question for years. Here’s what the research really says about alcohol and health.

Alcohol linked with longevity

The new study isn’t the first to link alcohol with a long life, suggests of people with mild Alzheimer’s, for example, found that moderate drinkers were less likely to die during the study’s follow-up period than teetotalers. A large study also found that light and moderate drinkers were less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who never sipped. Red wine, in particular, is often singled out for its anti-aging benefits, usually because of a compound called resveratrol — though that explanation may be over-simplified, and more research is needed.

Beverages themselves are giving longevity benefits, or if the health effects come from other lifestyle factors common among moderate drinkers, such as a strong social network. Plus, most research focuses specifically on moderate drinking, which is typically defined as no more than a drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men. Research has generally not found health benefits for people with heavier drinking habits — and, in fact, a recent report says that alcohol abuse is causing a decline in US  life expectancy.

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Alcohol may or may not be good for your heart

The relationship between alcohol and cardiovascular health is perhaps the most debatable of all. Quite a few studies have linked moderate drinking with better heart health, but some researchers have questioned these findings based on something called the abstainer bias: the idea that many non-drinkers teetotal because they have other health issues, or because they’re recovering from addiction. Including these folks in studies could skew the data to make people who don’t drink look unfairly unhealthy, and to falsely equate booze with health benefits.

A large study suggests, however, was designed to eliminate the possibility of abstainer bias. It still found that moderate drinking may protect against heart attacks, strokes, chest pain and fatal heart disease.

Alcohol may contribute to weight gain

It’s easy to forget, but alcoholic beverages are often quite high in calories. Regularly imbibing, then, can sneakily contribute to weight gain and obesity. Those can come with their own set of health problems, ranging from heart disease to type 2 diabetes.

The bottom line

There’s still a lot of scientists don’t know about drinking, but the research clearly suggests that moderation is key. While it’s smart to cut back if your drinking veers into bingeing territory, there’s likely no reason to stop drinking if you do so in small amounts — just as you probably shouldn’t feel compelled to start sipping if you don’t already. The healthiest game plan: Stick to drinking in moderation (one drink a day for women, two drinks for men) and avoiding binge drinking. And know yourself, adds Moore. Before popping bottles, consider your family health history, what—or how many—drinks it takes to trigger bad behavior, and whether or not you’re on any meds that may have less-than-stellar alcohol interactions. And last but not the least, keep your body hydrated (drink lots of water).

Cheers! 

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