DAILY PINT OR GLASS OF WINE DOESN’T RAISE THE RISK OF PREMATURE DEATH: STUDY

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

A daily pint or glass of wine does not raise the risk of premature death, according to new research.

But enjoying a regular tipple does not boost health, either.

Low and moderate drinkers have similar mortality rates to teetotallers, say scientists.

But women who drink more than a glass of wine a day are at least a fifth more prone to an early grave than abstainers.

Those who down up to a bottle a day are 61 percent more likely to die before their time.

Two pints a day raised men's risk by 15 percent - rising to 34 percent among those who got through three on average.

The findings are based on 4.8 million people - making it one of the biggest analyses of its kind.

Lead author Dr. Jinhui Zhao, of the University of Victoria, Canada, said: "There was a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality among female drinkers who drank 25 or more grams per day (a large glass of wine) and among male drinkers who drank 45 (two pints) or more grams per day."

He added: "Low-volume alcohol drinking was not associated with protection against death from all causes."

The study in JAMA Network Open adds to evidence that the idea the odd drink is good for you is a myth.

Zhao's team pooled data from 107 studies around the world.

He said: "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."

The proposition that low-dose alcohol use protects against all-cause mortality in general populations continues to be controversial.

Zhao said: "Observational studies tend to show that people classified as “moderate drinkers” have longer life expectancy and are less likely to die from heart disease than those classified as abstainers."

But they tend to have better dental hygiene, exercise more and have higher income. Abstainers may have poorer health or be "sick quitters" or former drinkers, many of whom cut down or stop for health reasons.

Zhao and colleagues took these factors into account.

He said: "Our meta-analysis of 107 studies found no significant protective associations of occasional or moderate drinking with all-cause mortality and an increased risk of all-cause mortality for drinkers who drank 25 g or more and a significantly increased risk when drinking 45 g or more per day."

Added Zhao: "Future longitudinal studies in this field should attempt to minimize lifetime selection biases by not including former and occasional drinkers in the reference group, and by using younger cohorts more representative of drinkers in the general population at baseline."

The NHS recommends adults consume no more than 14 units of alcohol per week - about six pints of beer or ten glasses of wine.

The post Daily pint or glass of wine doesn’t raise the risk of premature death: study appeared first on Talker.

2023-03-31T16:42:26Z dg43tfdfdgfd