In the lead-up to Christmas, the bright minds at Harvard University sparked a debate about the potential benefits of alcoholic beverages. Various groups of researchers argued over whether alcohol could have a positive impact on people’s health.
Ultimately, in an article published in the prestigious Harvard Health Letter, one research team claimed that alcohol is likely beneficial for heart health when consumed in moderation.
The scientists pointed to several large observational studies that demonstrated that consuming one to two servings of alcohol per day could lower the risk of heart attacks and reduce levels of bad cholesterol.
A single serving of alcohol is defined as containing 10 milliliters of pure alcohol. This includes, for example, 250 ml of 5% beer or 125-150 ml of dry wine (9-11%).
Despite this, the team acknowledged that most previous studies on the benefits of drinking have shown that alcohol can increase the risk of developing dozens of diseases. Opponents of alcohol consumption argue that it causes blood to thicken and flow more easily to the heart muscles, preventing the heart from working as hard as it should.
Dr. Anthony Komaroff, the author of the new article, noted, “The evidence for the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption for the heart comes from observational studies involving hundreds of thousands of people, whose drinking habits and health have been closely monitored for decades.”
In his article, he also mentioned that moderate drinkers exhibited lower rates of ischemic heart disease and fewer heart attacks compared to non-drinkers and those who consume excessive amounts of alcohol.
Based on recent research data, Dr. Komaroff concluded that “moderate alcohol consumption may have some health benefits for the heart.” However, he pointed out that other studies “found no clear evidence that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol daily are less likely to develop heart disease than those who do not drink.” This means that the new data does not negate the conclusions of previous studies, and they should be compared with earlier findings, the scientist stated.
But the new findings from Harvard scientists weren’t universally welcomed
In response to the article, U.S. health officials stated that official guidelines limit alcohol consumption to two servings per week, not two per day.
While Harvard claimed the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption for heart health, consuming more than three servings a day could actually worsen health conditions.
Those who dismissed the new Harvard findings cited a major study conducted in June this year by researchers from Oxford and Peking Universities, as well as the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The authors analyzed data from half a million residents of China and concluded that consuming any amount of alcohol increases the risk of developing around 60 diseases. Among these ailments, liver cirrhosis, stroke, heart attack, and cancer topped the list. However, the most surprising fact is that 33 of these diseases had never before been linked to alcohol, including gout and cataracts, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that no amount of alcohol is safe. According to statistics, excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for approximately three million deaths worldwide each year.