Comprehensive Alcohol Study Shows No Level is Safe

In the most comprehensive study on alcohol ever conducted, researchers concluded that there really is “no safe level of alcohol.” Published in The Lancet, the researchers in this study reviewed the drinking habits of 28 million people worldwide, and some of their findings reveal that alcohol is by no means a safe substance to consume.

Researchers found that alcohol leads to 2.8 million deaths worldwide each year, meaning about 2% of women and 7% of men will die every year from alcohol-related deaths. The study analyzed the levels of alcohol use and its health effects from 195 countries from 1990 to 2016. While the authors of the study agree that moderate drinking may provide safeguards to some people against heart disease, they also found that alcohol is a major factor in developing other diseases, including cancer.

Current health guidelines state that alcohol is safe for the consumer when limited to two drinks per day. The study’s authors suggest otherwise, with the data they analyzed leading them to conclude that alcohol is the leading risk factor for diseases worldwide. The leading cause of death linked to alcohol when applied to young people includes tuberculosis, road injuries, and self-harm. When it comes to people over 50, alcohol was shown to be the leading cause of cancer.

These findings have been corroborated by the American Cancer Society of Clinical Oncology, a group of cancer doctors who work to raise awareness of the risks of excessive drinking. The current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends women limit their drinks to one per day and men at two drinks per day. One drink is considered to be one 12 oz beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of hard liquor.