A new study has challenged the widely held belief that moderate alcohol consumption can enhance longevity and protect against heart problems and chronic diseases. The research, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, scrutinized existing studies that promoted the health benefits of moderate drinking, finding them riddled with “flawed scientific research.”
For decades, numerous studies have suggested that moderate alcohol consumption, ranging from a drink per week to two per day, could be beneficial for health. These studies often compared moderate drinkers to abstainers and occasional drinkers, leading to the conclusion that moderate drinkers were healthier. However, the new study discovered a critical flaw in this methodology. Many of these studies focused on older adults and included former or occasional drinkers in the “abstainer” group. This categorization led to an inaccurate comparison, as individuals who had stopped drinking due to pre-existing health issues were grouped with those who had never consumed alcohol.
“That makes people who continue to drink look much healthier by comparison,” said lead researcher Tim Stockwell, a scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria. This flawed design, according to the researchers, resulted in an artificially positive correlation between moderate drinking and longevity.
The study analyzed 107 published studies examining the relationship between drinking habits and longevity. Initially, the data seemed to support the notion that moderate drinkers had a 14% lower risk of death compared to abstainers. However, upon closer examination of “higher quality” studies, which focused on younger individuals (under 55) and carefully distinguished between former, occasional, and lifelong abstainers, no such link was found. Moderate alcohol consumption did not translate to longer lifespans in these studies.
“As predicted, studies with younger cohorts and separating former and occasional drinkers from abstainers estimated similar mortality risk (between) low-volume drinkers (and) abstainers,” the authors wrote. Conversely, studies that categorized former drinkers as abstainers and involved older adults were more likely to show a positive association between moderate drinking and longevity.
“If you look at the weakest studies, that’s where you see health benefits,” said Stockwell. The flawed sample selection, according to the researchers, created misleading links between drinking and health benefits and “can confuse communications about health risks.”
The belief in the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption dates back to 1926 when American biologist Raymond Pearl published a book titled “Alcohol and Longevity,” which initially established this link. However, in recent years, mounting evidence has challenged this notion, with multiple studies concluding that there is no “safe level of alcohol consumption.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) reinforced this conclusion in January 2023, stating in The Lancet Public Health journal: “When it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.” This statement, along with the latest findings, underscores the need for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between alcohol and health, particularly regarding research methodology and the interpretation of findings.
