This has got tongues wagging furiously and it’s all due to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda.
Authors of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Global Burden of Diseases study, an ongoing project based at the University of Washington in Seattle, have concluded that alcohol consumption carries significant health risks and no benefits for young people.
However, those over 40, may gain health benefits from drinking a small amount of alcohol, as it may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes.
“Our message is simple: young people should not drink, but older people may benefit from drinking small amounts,” said senior author Dr Emmanuela Gakidou, Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine.
“While it may not be realistic to think young adults will abstain from drinking, we do think it’s important to communicate the latest evidence so that everyone can make informed decisions about their health.”
Using estimates of alcohol use in 204 countries, researchers calculated that 1.34 billion people consumed harmful amounts of alcohol in 2020.
In every region, the largest segment of the population drinking unsafe amounts of alcohol were males, aged 15-39, and for this age group, drinking alcohol does not provide any health benefits and presents many health risks, with 60% of alcohol-related injuries occurring among people in this age group, including motor vehicle accidents, suicides, and homicides, states the study, published in medical journal Lancet.
“Even if a conservative approach is taken and the lowest level of safe consumption is used to set policy recommendations, this implies that the recommended level of alcohol consumption is still too high for younger populations. Our estimates, based on currently available evidence, support guidelines that differ by age and region,” says lead author Dana Bryazka, researcher at IHME.
“Understanding the variation in the level of alcohol consumption that minimises the risk of health loss for populations can aid in setting effective consumption guidelines, supporting alcohol control policies, monitoring progress in reducing harmful alcohol use, and designing public health risk messaging.”
I think even aged above 40, it’s clear a glass of wine should be it for the day.
