"Alcohol is never good for people under 40, global study finds Largest project of its kind concludes young people should not drink at
all but small amount may benefit older adults
Andrew Gregory Health editor
@andrewgregory
Thu 14 Jul 2022 18.30 EDT
Alcohol carries significant health risks and no benefits for young
people but some older adults may gain from drinking a small amount, according to the largest study of its kind.
The conclusion comes from the authors of the Global Burden of Diseases
study, a rolling project based at the University of Washington in
Seattle, which produces the most comprehensive data on the causes of
illness and death in the world.
Four years ago the study said that even the occasional drink was
harmful to health, and suggested governments should advise people to
abstain entirely.
But after a major new analysis of global data, the experts behind the
study have reached fresh conclusions. Young people face higher health
risks from alcohol consumption than older adults, they say. But they
add that adults aged 40 and older without underlying health conditions
may benefit from limited alcohol consumption, such as a small glass of
red wine a day, including a reduced risk in cardiovascular disease,
stroke and diabetes.
Their findings, published in the Lancet, are the first to report
alcohol risk by geographical region, age, sex, and year. They suggest
that global alcohol consumption recommendations should be based on age
and location, with the strictest guidelines for men aged 15-39, who
are at the greatest risk of harmful alcohol consumption worldwide.
“Our message is simple: young people should not drink, but older people may benefit from drinking small amounts,†said the senior author, Dr Emmanuela Gakidou, professor of health metrics sciences at
the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. “While it may
not be realistic to think young adults will abstain from drinking, we
do think it’s important to communicate the latest evidence so that everyone can make informed decisions about their health.â€
A total of 1.34 billion people are estimated to have consumed harmful amounts of alcohol in 2020, according to the analysis of drinking
habits in 204 countries.
The study, published in the Lancet, found that 59% of those who drank harmful amounts were aged 15-39 – people for whom alcohol provided
no health benefit and posed risks, including injuries relating to
drinking or car accidents, suicides or murders. Three-quarters of
harmful drinkers were men.
[snip]
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/14/alcohol-is-never-good-for-people-under-40-global-study-finds
"Adults aged 40 and older without underlying health conditions"? What is that? Like 4 or 5 people on the entire planet? Life is an
underlying health condition that does not improve with age. I don't
drink much alcohol these days simply because the main effect is that
it makes me sleepy.
"Alcohol is never good for people under 40, global study finds Largest project of its kind concludes young people should not drink at
all but small amount may benefit older adults
Andrew Gregory Health editor
@andrewgregory
Thu 14 Jul 2022 18.30 EDT
Alcohol carries significant health risks and no benefits for young
people but some older adults may gain from drinking a small amount,
according to the largest study of its kind.
The conclusion comes from the authors of the Global Burden of Diseases
study, a rolling project based at the University of Washington in
Seattle, which produces the most comprehensive data on the causes of
illness and death in the world.
Four years ago the study said that even the occasional drink was harmful
to health, and suggested governments should advise people to abstain entirely.
But after a major new analysis of global data, the experts behind the
study have reached fresh conclusions. Young people face higher health
risks from alcohol consumption than older adults, they say. But they add
that adults aged 40 and older without underlying health conditions may benefit from limited alcohol consumption, such as a small glass of red
wine a day, including a reduced risk in cardiovascular disease, stroke
and diabetes.
Their findings, published in the Lancet, are the first to report alcohol
risk by geographical region, age, sex, and year. They suggest that
global alcohol consumption recommendations should be based on age and location, with the strictest guidelines for men aged 15-39, who are at
the greatest risk of harmful alcohol consumption worldwide.
“Our message is simple: young people should not drink, but older people
may benefit from drinking small amounts,” said the senior author, Dr Emmanuela Gakidou, professor of health metrics sciences at the
University of Washington’s School of Medicine. “While it may not be realistic to think young adults will abstain from drinking, we do think it’s important to communicate the latest evidence so that everyone can
make informed decisions about their health.”
A total of 1.34 billion people are estimated to have consumed harmful
amounts of alcohol in 2020, according to the analysis of drinking habits
in 204 countries.
The study, published in the Lancet, found that 59% of those who drank
harmful amounts were aged 15-39 – people for whom alcohol provided no health benefit and posed risks, including injuries relating to drinking
or car accidents, suicides or murders. Three-quarters of harmful
drinkers were men.
[snip]
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/14/alcohol-is-never-good-for-people-under-40-global-study-finds
"Adults aged 40 and older without underlying health conditions"?
What is that? Like 4 or 5 people on the entire planet? Life is an
underlying health condition that does not improve with age. I don't
drink much alcohol these days simply because the main effect is that it
makes me sleepy.
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