Consumption of one glass of wine a day associated with fewer hospital visits
While the serious negative effects of high alcohol consumption are well documented, those who drink in moderation report less to the hospital than teetotallers.
A new study shows that people who consume alcohol moderately (one glass of wine a day), have a lower risk of being hospitalized compared to heavier drinkers, and also to the teetotallers. The consumption of one glass of wine a day is in accordance to Mediterranean diet principles.
“We are absolutely not saying that any teetotaler should start drinking to improve his/her health”
This research was carried out by the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed (Pozzilli, Italy), in collaboration with the Department of Nutrition of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (Boston) and was published in the scientific journal Addiction.
Drinking habits of 21,000 participants were followed over a period of 6 years. During this period, their drinking habits were related to their number of hospital admissions.
“We observed,” says Simona Costanzo, first author of the paper “that a heavy consumption of alcohol is associated with a higher probability of hospitalization, especially for cancer and alcohol-related diseases. This confirms the harmful effect of excessive alcohol drinking on the health. On the other hand, those who drink in moderation present a lower risk of hospitalization for all causes and for cardiovascular diseases compared to lifetime abstainers and former drinkers”.
“We are absolutely not saying – underlines Ken Mukamal Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, “that any teetotaler should start drinking to improve his/her health. However, this research reaffirms that the effects of alcohol consumption cannot be reduced to a single catchphrase or punchline. This very comprehensive study clearly shows that we need to consider its health effects based upon both dose and disease”.
