Earlier this month, the U.S. Sureavor said that moderate alcohol consumption was associated with seven types of cancers, and announced a recommendation for a new warning label for alcohol products. But recently, reviews from the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine have related that moderate drinking is related to low risk of heart disease and death, but competing federal reports are essentially opposed. did.
This dizzy study occurs when many Americans re -evaluate their relationship with alcohol. According to consumers’ trend reports from coefficients of new consumers and venture capital companies, about one -third of the drinkers will reduce or refrain from alcohol this month under the name “Drying January”. Similarly, the popularity of drinks without alcohol reflects how some people are developing alcohol all year round. Global sales of non -alcoholic beverages increased from about $ 10 billion to $ 20 billion between 2019 and 2023.
Scientific American We talked to experts about what the research on alcohol’s health impact is saying, and how people restrict their risks while people are enjoying the occasional evil.
About the support of science journalism
If you are enjoying this article, consider supporting journalism that has won. Subscription. By purchasing a subscription, it will help you secure the future of a story that has an impactful story that forms our world today.
How alcohol affects the body
Alcohol is the main cause of preventive death. This is related to over 200 health in all organ systems and about 100,000 deaths in the United States every year. Most of these harms are defined as Eric Rim, an epidemiologist at Harvard University, as defined as a nationwide guideline every day and more than 5 days (or 15 days a week) for men. It is related to a large amount of consumption. TH CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
For example, at least six drinks a day, despite the fact that only a small part of the overall population is represented, about half of alcohol -related cancer cases are worldwide. for example. For this group, reducing the amount of alcohol or quitting is essential for survival.
RIMM says, on the other hand, drinking moderately (about one cup per day, about one for two men, two cups of men), bringing a small risk for the average person. One study in Lancet Men and women who have one drink a day, seeing 23 types of alcohol -related health problems all over the world, have a 0.5 % risk of developing health problems next year. I found something expensive. Consuming two drinks a day increases the risk of 7 %. From the absolute risk perspective, compared to 918 people who have a group of 100,000 people who did not drink, 918 people who drink one cup a day and 977 people who have 2 cups of drinks. It was expected to develop one of the health problems.
In the case of breast cancer, specifically, the advice of the surgeon is to develop this cancer in comparison with less than one cup of risk, compared to 13 % of life risks that develop a drink per day. I quoted research that was found to be associated with a lifetime risk. In the week. RIMM says that this relationship is at least 20 times less between smoking and lung cancer. Similarly, eating 50 grams of bacon or about 4 slices per day is associated with the same risk of colorectal cancer if you have a couple of drinks a day.
However, the important difference between drinking and processing and smoking is recognized. According to Jiyoung Ahn, a cancer epidemiologist in NYU Languone Health, less than half of Americans recognize the relationship with cancer. She says that alcohol itself is not very poisonous, but the liver breaks it into acetaldehyde, damages DNA, and plays an important role in the development of cancer.
Another method in which alcohol contributes to cancer is to expand the effects of other risk factors, such as smoking (can potentially speed up the conversion of cigarettes to carcinogens), and are hormone -sensitive cancer. Increase the estrogen level that promotes growth. Ann says that breast cancer.
All of these routes in the body are associated with inflammation and oxidative stress. Alcohol metabolism produces a free radical (essentially unstable oxygen molecule) that damages protein and DNA. Mandrekar’s research finds how these free radicals change the specific “chaperon” protein and pushes gasoline pedals to the growth of the tumor.
According to ASHISH JHA, as long as the guidelines that suggest that these risks and intake are limited to one or two cups a day, maybe they drink the beer at the stadium or wine with dinner. You can drink it. Director of the University of Brown University.
Luis Seiya, a domestic office and pediatrician at the University of Pennsylvania, is to justify their drinking. The misunderstanding is rooted in the 1992 paper, which discovered that moderate wine consumption was protected from heart disease. This conclusion is that moderately consumed alcohol increases the level of “good cholesterol”, reduces blood, and improves insulin sensitivity, is backed by more than 100 observation research and biological evidence. RIMM says.
However, new studies have questioned some of the advantages of the medium of drinking alcohol, and are paying attention to important restrictions in many analysis. For example, non -drinkers may have had a greater mortality rate simply because they were likely to be poor or that they were likely to have stopped drinking for health reasons. On the other hand, moderate drinkers tend to exercise, sleep more and more healthy habits, which helps them explain their low mortality.
RIMM believes that biological evidence still indicates that moderate alcohol consumption provides some advantages to other conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. However, these advantages are probably averaged or probably higher due to the risk of traffic injury, breast cancer, and other medium drinking.
“People shouldn’t get up in the morning and say,” Let’s take a look. What kind of illness are you trying to prevent? I should drink? “
More safer way to drink
There are various reasons for drinking, from strengthening meals to celebrating special opportunities. “I feel that it is easier for many people to interact and enjoy, and feel a little more modest,” said Raymond Anton, a poisoning psychiatrist at the University of South Carolina.
Here are some important strategies for how to restrict the risks while enjoying occasional evil. First, people need to pay attention to more healthy drinking patterns, such as consuming alcohol with food and avoiding drinking. “Foods do not slow down their metabolism and increase alcohol concentration to reduce the release of alcohol to the intestines and liver,” Anton says. Similarly, drinking 4-5 drinks for Friday night parties and Saturday branches is much more dangerous than spreading them. It is related to heart disease, breast cancer, and overall mortality. after a while.
Second, people should recognize their risks. Technically, alcohol levels are not at risk, but there are no daily activities from driving to eating bacon. Nevertheless, there are some groups that may be the best policy, such as poisoning, liver disease, and family history of cancer, may be the best policy. Abstinence is also important for pregnant people, people who take drugs that interact with alcohol, or have a specific genetic state.
According to the federal alcohol report of the Materials and Mental Health Service Bureau, the factors of the lifestyle are the key to the calculation of the risk vene fit. In fact, one study shows that alcohol intake is directly associated with low -level exercise cancer risk, but drinks moderately, but there is no risk among those engaged in at least 7.5 hours of activities. 。
Anton emphasizes that exercise should not be an excuse to start drinking because it does not necessarily directly affect how alcohol is metabolized. “If people are thinking about drinking, and if they choose so, it should be part of a healthy lifestyle,” says Rim.
Third, people can try dryness in January. “The All -O Nashing approach is not a good idea,” says Saja. Some people can go to a cold turkey, but it is unrealistic to demand all the drinks to quit forever. “That’s this sober idea-you know Come to play. This includes spending days without alcohol, drinking, and relying on non -alcoholic beverages as a way to maintain the social interests of drinking.
Preliminary research supports the advantages of dry January because it reduces people’s blood pressure, weight, and insulin resistance to reconsider the long -term relationship with alcohol. One study shows that 40 % of the participants reported that the amount of alcohol was reduced and there were few drinks, but 10 % had reported the opposition six months after participating in January. I did it. According to SEIJA, the key not only goes to a large amount of drinking on February 1, but also dries in January just to find a comfortable and sustainable drinking pattern.
Important point: While finding a balance that matches your healthy lifestyle, recognize the risk and enjoy alcohol with responsibility. “I don’t try to take away your autonomy. I’m trying to give you an institution to make at least you make a decision based on that information,” says Seija.
