“There is no safe level of alcohol”

A major new study published in the Lancet medical journal states that even the occasional drink is harmful and there are no safe levels of alcohol.  The authors of the Global Burden of Diseases Study found that whilst moderate drinking was championed by many as ‘good for the heart’ the protection and benefit offered by alcohol is far outweighed by the harmful affects of alcohol particularly in the case of cancer.  Previous studies have shown that alcohol is linked to many cancers including breast, oesophageal and oral cancers. One of the reasons alcohol is believed to be good for the heart may be down to the fact that wine is made from grapes and grapes contain resveratrol.  Resveratrol is known for its many health benefits including protecting against artery damage and preventing heart disease.  Most importantly resveratrol is anti-inflammatory.  Red grapes are the best source of resveratrol, other sources include nuts and blueberries.

The study carried out by researchers at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, used data from 694 studies on how common alcohol consumption is and 592 studies, including 28 million people in 195 countries to evaluate the effects of alcohol consumption.  Dr Robyn Burton of King’s College London said, “Alcohol is a colossal global health issue and small reductions in health related harms at low levels of alcohol intake are outweighed by the increased risk of other health related harms, including cancer.  There is strong support here for the guideline published by the Chief Medical Officer of the UK who found there is ‘no safe level of alcohol consumption.’”