A glass of wine a day is great for the heart, right? And the occasional beer can help lighten the mood, correct? If you are someone who enjoys drinking, either an occasional glass of wine, or a shot of scotch every day (or even multiple) then this news may not be welcomed, but it also may not be surprising.
According to a study recently published in The Lancet, any amount of alcohol can be damaging.
No amount of alcohol is safe to consume, according to The Global Burden of Disease study. This study analyzed various levels of alcohol consumption and its health effects. The study was conducted in 195 countries from the years 1990 to 2016.
Although it is true, according to the study, that moderate drinking can help people in dealing with heart disease, it also found that the benefits are outweighed by the potential to develop diseases, such as cancer.
“Our results show that the safest level of drinking is none,” the report states. “This level is in conflict with most health guidelines, which espouse health benefits associated with consuming up to two drinks per day.”
In an interview with the BBC, Spiegelhalter said that “There is no safe level of driving, but governments do not recommend that people avoid driving…Come to think of it, there is no safe level of living, but nobody would recommend abstention.”
So in other words, the benefits may not outweigh the costs, but there still may be people who choose to accept the risk in order to enjoy the activity. Use your best judgment and always be safe when you are consuming alcoholic beverages, especially if you need to get behind the wheel, for almost no amount of drinking together with driving is safe.
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