If you enjoy consuming a moderate amount of alcohol, you’ve likely been happy about the numerous studies hailing the potential health benefits of the habit, especially related to the heart and to longevity. But new research suggests that flaws in many of the studies have led to overestimating those benefits.
The research is from the Centre for Addictions Research at the University of Victoria in Canada. The team analyzed 87 studies that assessed the effects of moderate drinking on longevity. They found that many of the studies have flaws that, when taken into account, eliminate the reported health benefits of moderate drinking. Their findings were recently published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
“While in most cases moderate drinking is not harmful, alcohol consumption has more detriments than benefits as it relates to heart health,” says Vikranth Gongidi, DO, who is affiliated with the Indian River Medical Center and is board-certified in adult cardiovascular diseases. “Red wine is often given as an example of a heart-healthy drink, but the benefits come from the tannins and flavonoids it contains, not the alcohol content.”
A comparison of moderate drinkers with “abstainers” was a mainstay of the studies analyzed by the team in Canada. They found that the way most of the studies defined abstainers was flawed. On the surface, it’s an easy definition: people who don’t drink alcohol. But many of the studies compared moderate drinkers – by their definition, individuals who consume up to two alcoholic beverages daily – with “current” abstainers. The problem is that current abstainers may include people of poor health who used to drink but have stopped, making objective comparisons impossible (in scientific parlance, the results were biased).
About that bias, lead researcher Tim Stockwell, Ph.D., says, “A fundamental question is, who are these moderate drinkers being compared against?” Stockwell and his team found that only 13 of the 87 studies avoided biases in the abstainer group, and – most critically – those 13 studies showed no benefits of moderate drinking on longevity.
The researchers also found that it was “occasional” drinkers – individuals who consume less than one alcoholic beverage a week – who had the longest lifespan and, according to the team, it is unlikely that alcohol is the reason, as they would be getting a “biologically insignificant dose of alcohol,” according to Stockwell.
While there is agreement that moderate drinking is generally not harmful, defining moderation can be problematic. Indian River’s Dr. Gongidi says he talks to patients who consider themselves to be moderate drinkers but are consuming much more alcohol than they think. He says, “Wine is a great example. Two glasses of wine, three or four times a week, is moderate drinking for most people of average or larger size. But the portion is critical – a glass of wine should be four or five ounces, not the goblets many restaurants serve.” For beer drinkers, 24 ounces three or four times a week is generally considered moderate; for mixed drinks, it’s two drinks with the same frequency.
Excessive drinking has serious and well-understood health implications. Globally, more than 3 million deaths each year are attributable to alcohol. The Mayo Clinic outlines these increased health risks of heavy drinking:
• Certain cancers, including breast cancer and cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus
• Pancreatitis
• Sudden death if you already have cardiovascular disease
• Heart muscle damage (alcoholic cardiomyopathy) leading to heart failure
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Liver disease
• Suicide
• Accidental serious injury or death.
Dr. Gongidi agrees, and adds arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms, which includes atrial fibrillation) to this list. He says his patients often ask him if they should abstain from alcohol completely. “I tell them to live their lives, but to think about the potential side effects of alcohol the way they would any medication. If the patient has cardiomyopathy, or arrhythmia, or a-fib, abstinence may be a good option, and can even decrease their need for medication.”
As a result of the Canadian and UK studies, some experts believe that, when talking to their patients, doctors should actively disavow any notion that low or moderate alcohol use has benefits for cardiovascular disease and longevity; unfortunately, it doesn’t seem the purported benefits stand up to scrutiny.
Dr. Gongidi’s office is located at 801 Wellness Way, Suite 203, in Sebastian. The office phone is 772-778-8687.
