• Alcohol is a significant contributor to death, with liver disease, alcohol poisoning, and drunk-driving-related deaths being the most common causes.
• We do not have good data on the relationship between alcohol and health at lower levels of drinking due to observational data bias.
• The most comprehensive study of the link between alcohol and long-term health was published in The Lancet in 2018, which showed an upward-trending relationship between alcohol and colon/rectal cancer, and a dip initially between light drinking and heart health.
• The New York Times article on alcohol last week suggested that five years of drinking two alcoholic beverages a day can damage the liver, but this is not supported by data.
• A randomized trial of light drinking was shut down due to funding from alcohol manufacturers.
• Despite the lack of evidence that alcohol is good for health, it can still be enjoyed in moderation.
• If one feels like their alcohol consumption is too much, it is a time to re-evaluate.
Published January 26, 2023
Visit ParentData to read Emily Oster’s original post Alcohol and Health
