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Low and moderate alcohol consumption not associated with increased mortality

jamanetwork.com

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Re: Low and moderate alcohol consumption not associated with increased mortality

#3
post #2

The headline here reads oddly. The conclusion from this paper is: "Low-volume alcohol drinking was not associated with protection against death from all causes."

" no significant reductions in risk of all-cause mortality for drinkers who drank less than 25 g of ethanol per day"

"Conclusions and Relevance In this updated systematic review and meta-analysis, daily low or moderate alcohol intake was not significantly associated with all-cause mortality risk, while increased risk was evident at higher consumption levels, starting at lower levels for women than men."

Re: Low and moderate alcohol consumption not associated with increased mortality

#4
Everyone on this topic seems to have their own studies to back polar opposite conclusions.

Canada is going the opposite direction[0], taking the position that "no amount of alcohol is safe to consume".

[0] https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/what-you-should-know-about-can...

Re: Low and moderate alcohol consumption not associated with increased mortality

#7
> There was a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality among female drinkers who drank 25 or more grams [of ethanol] per day and among male drinkers who drank 45 or more grams per day.

25 g is about 32 mL; 45 g => 57 mL. At 80 proof (40% ABV), that's 80 mL (2.7 US fl oz) or 143 mL (4.8 US fl oz) of liquor. A shot glass is ~1.5 US fl oz. (Or 640-1140mL => 22-39 fl oz of 5% beer, for women and men respectively.) So this is something like 2-3 "standard drink units."

Re: Low and moderate alcohol consumption not associated with increased mortality

#9
> Moderate Drinking Has No Health Benefits, Analysis of Decades of Research Finds https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/04/health/alcohol-health-eff...

Same paper, different headline.

> This is true. https://hubermanlab.com/what-alcohol-does-to-your-body-brain... Two drinks a week seems like the upper limit beyond which health issues eventually start to surface. Which is not to say that some people can’t get away with more provided they do a bunch of other things right and perhaps also pick the right parents. People should do what they want provided not harming anyone else. But it’s nice to know what you’re doing. https://twitter.com/hubermanlab/status/1643692569585676288

Re: Low and moderate alcohol consumption not associated with increased mortality

#10
post #2

The headline here reads oddly. The conclusion from this paper is: "Low-volume alcohol drinking was not associated with protection against death from all causes."

Paraphrasing the findings paints a slightly different picture: "Drinking 25g (45g for males) of ethanol daily did not increase risk of mortality."

Basically, having 2/4 drinks per day isn't going to kill you. Drinking more than that definitely increases your risk of premature death, though.

Also, this is a meta-study that reiterates the findings of previous meta-studies on the topic.

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