A recent American study on the effects of alcohol discovered that those under the age of 40 only experience health concerns as a result of alcohol consumption; there were no such good health outcomes. However, occasional drinking may have advantageous impacts on older age groups.
The consequences of alcohol on people’s health have been the subject of a brand-new, extensive study by the scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle called “Global Burden of Disease,” which was released on Friday in the scientific journal The Lancet. It is the first comprehensive study of alcohol’s effects that takes into consideration a person’s location, age, and gender.
One of the study’s most notable conclusions was that consuming alcohol has no favourable health impact on persons under the age of 40. Due to their higher frequency and volume of drinking than women, males in that age group are more susceptible to health issues.
The researchers gathered the information for the study from around 204 nations between 1990 and 2020. It indicates that in 2020, 1.34 billion individuals drank too much alcohol (more than 1 billion men and around 300 million women). Men aged 15 to 39 had the largest global risk of alcohol-related problems.
Based on the same data, the researchers determined a minimal level of alcohol use that is detrimental in each location and for each gender. This limit ranges from 0.1 to 0.4 standard glasses of alcohol per day for people aged 15 to 39.
“The message is simple, young people had better not drink,” said Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor at the University of Washington who cooperate on the study.
The same study from four years ago showed that a drink was always hazardous, but more current research demonstrates that an occasional drink can benefit older age groups. For people over 40, 0.5 to 1.8 standard glasses of alcohol per day is the minimum recommended intake.
“Consuming a small amount of alcohol can provide some health benefits for people in this age group who do not suffer from any underlying disorders,” the researchers concluded. It would reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, strokes and diabetes.
10 g of pure alcohol, which roughly translates to a 100 ml glass of wine (13 percent alcohol), a 375 ml can of beer (3.5 percent alcohol), or a 30 ml shot of spirits, is considered to constitute a “standard glass” of alcohol in the study (40 percent alcohol).