Science Alert: Of all the things that threaten to kill or disable us, alcohol takes a disturbingly high spot on the list – according to global estimates based on people’s state of health and levels of alcohol consumed.
If fact, for people aged between 15 and 49, alcohol is the leading cause of harm worldwide. We have a serious drinking problem.
Every other week there’s a new study attempting to calculate the risks and benefits of drinking alcohol. Broadly legal and typically more socially acceptable than most drugs, it’s easy to assume the pros and cons somehow balance out in the long run.
But a new Global Burden of Disease assessment on the impact of alcohol around the world has found no reason to think even a small tipple will help us live longer, healthier lives.
Max Griswold from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington lead a study that looked at data from nearly hundreds of studies and data sources involving roughly 28 million individuals. According to his findings, any health benefits are easily overwhelmed by alcohol’s mind-altering and toxic effects.
“Previous studies have found a protective effect of alcohol on some conditions, but we found that the combined health risks associated with alcohol increase with any amount,” says Griswold.
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