Alcohol: New Study Says 1 Is Too Many

"Drink to your health", they say...

Every now and again, it is nice to celebrate with a glass of wine or beer, but a recent study is pointing towards it's not that nice when it comes to your health.

Source

AFP reported that a major study published conducted research on 195 nations and 2.8 million deaths a year came prematurely due to alcohol. Even by having that occasional celebratory drink can now be linked to negative health effects. "'There is no safe level of alcohol,' said Max Griswold, a researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, Washington and lead author for a consortium of more than 500 experts."

An average of two drinks per day, for example, translated into a 7.0 percent hike in disease and injury compared to those who opt for abstinence.

With five 'units' of alcohol per day, the likelihood of serious consequences jumps by 37 percent.

The 'less is better, none is best' finding jibes with the World Health Organization's long-standing position, but is at odds with many national guidelines, especially in the developed world.

Clearly, studies are not always perfect, but the information is interesting none-the-less. It seems the harm outweighs those possible benefits, even though there aren't many since it lowers your immune system. On a lighter note, here are some interesting worldwide statistics AFP reported:

Among men, drinking alcohol in 2016 was most widespread in Denmark (97 percent), along with Norway, Argentina, Germany, and Poland (94 percent).

In Asia, South Korean men took the lead, with 91 percent hitting the bottle at least once in a while.

Among women, Danes also ranked first (95 percent), followed by Norway (91 percent), Germany and Argentina (90 percent), and New Zealand (89 percent).

The biggest drinkers, however, were found elsewhere.

Men in Romania who partake knocked back a top-scoring eight drinks a day on average, with Portugal, Luxembourg, Lithuania and Ukraine just behind at seven 'units' per day.

Ukranian women who drink were in a league of their own, putting away more than four glasses or shots every 24 hours, followed by Andorra, Luxembourg, Belarus, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and Britain, all averaging about three per day.

Overall, obviously drinking too much is not a good thing at all. One or two drinks here and there seems to not be the greatest life choice, but it certainly isn't as bad as drinking every day or heavily over a short period of time. You can read more from the study yourself to see more of the data points. Drinking comes with a great responsibility so it should be taken seriously and weighed appropriately since yourself or others can be affected by it.

Note: All images not cited are my own or created by me.

Be well!

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