Can low alcohol consumption be linked to a lower risk for certain conditions? And why do scientists still warn about its effects on health?
A large new study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington shows that alcohol's relationship with health is more complex than a simple "good" or "bad".
The findings of the study show that the effects of alcohol are not the same for all diseases, but differ significantly depending on the disease being examined, while at the same time, the data do not set a single safe consumption limit for all conditions and do not identify significant differences between men and women.
Specifically, the researchers, analyzing data from 843 studies on 20 different conditions, found that low to moderate consumption may be associated with a lower risk for certain cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases. At higher levels of consumption, however, this picture is reversed and the risk increases.
However, the data for many types of cancer and cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases are clear, as, as the analysis of the data showed, even low levels of alcohol consumption are associated with an increased risk.
For this reason, the researchers emphasize that alcohol consumption guidelines should discourage heavy drinking and emphasize that even low or moderate consumption is associated with an increased risk of several forms of cancer and some other serious diseases.
The findings of the study
The researchers found that even low alcohol consumption, i.e. less than 10 grams of pure alcohol per day, is associated with an increased risk of several cancers.
Specifically, an increased risk of cancer was recorded:
>> Breast.
>> Colon.
>> Esophagus.
>> Liver.
>> Pancreas.
>> Mouth.
>> Pharynx.
>> Larynx.
>> Prostate.
The strongest indication of damage, as pointed out in the research, was identified for pharyngeal cancer since, as recorded, average alcohol consumption is associated with at least a 105% higher risk of developing this form of cancer.
The study also records moderate to strong evidence of an increased risk of oral, laryngeal and colon cancer.
As far as the liver and pancreas are concerned, the analysis showed that there is a direct link between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of liver cirrhosis, chronic liver disease and other forms of chronic liver damage, while a clear link was found between alcohol consumption and pancreatitis (a serious inflammatory condition).
For these conditions, the researchers found that the risk increased as alcohol consumption increased.
The relationship between alcohol and atrial fibrillation (cardiac arrhythmia) seems to be important, while an increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections has been identified.
The researchers characterize the evidence for these conditions as weaker compared to those for cancers and chronic liver disease, however, the results show a steady trend of increasing risk.
Different findings for other diseases
In contrast to data on cancer, liver and pancreas, the study recorded a different picture for some cardiovascular diseases.
According to the analysis, low to moderate alcohol consumption appears to be associated with a lower risk of:
>> Ischemic heart disease.
>> Ischemic stroke.
>> Haemorrhagic stroke.
The researchers describe this relationship as a "J or U" curve. Simply put, the data showed that people who consumed small to moderate amounts of alcohol had a lower risk compared to both those who did not drink any alcohol and those who consumed large amounts. That is, increased consumption seems to neutralize the data that emerged from low or moderate consumption.
It is emphasized, however, that this picture is not observed for all cardiovascular diseases. For example, atrial fibrillation (as mentioned above) was associated with an increased risk.
The study also recorded an inverse association between low to moderate alcohol consumption and type 2 diabetes. According to the results, this category of consumers had a lower risk of developing the disease compared to other groups.
Similar findings for a lower risk of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia in people with low to moderate alcohol consumption. Again, however, with increased consumption, the data is changing.
The research team also examined whether the available data support different alcohol consumption limits for men and women. According to the conclusions of the study, the available data do not support the existence of different consumption limits by gender.
