Hello Jalal,

There are a number of convincing clinical epidemiological studies in the past that claim the health effects of regular moderate alcohol consumption. A biological explanation for this is that through the specific metabolism of ethanol via the alcohol dehydrogenase/acetaldehyde dehydrogenase pathway (via NAD) the conversion from 'bad' to 'good' cholesterol is stimulated. This would have a positive effect on the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.

The optimal doses of alcohol to produce a better life expectancy than teetotallers is claimed to be 2-3 alcohol units a day for men, and 1-2 units for women; it is advised to abstain from alcohol during one day/week. Exceeding these dosages would lead to an increase of the incidence of disease.

There are, however,  recent claims that regular alcohol consumption does not have favourable health effects. I would recommend to do a search of the recent literature on health effects of ethanol and judge yourself which sounds most convincing.

All the best, Frederik de Wolff

The answer depends on what health outcome you are considering. J-shaped relationships for a number of outcomes have been shown in an extensive body of research published in the last 20-30 years.

For ischaemic heart disease, a credible recent review is Roerecke & Rehm BMC Medicine 2014; 12:182.

For cancer, the adjusted risk is probably not J-shaped (see Cao et al BMJ 2015; 351 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h4238) though there are some conflicting reports on this.

For mental health, the unadjusted relationship is clearly J-shaped but adjusting for covariates largely explains the differences between abstainers and moderate drinkers   (though this may vary by gender). Mental health benefits of moderate drinking have not been conclusively demonstrated. 

Thanks Drs. Wolff and Foulds

Alcool is a carcinogen and a drug!

there is no evidence for the French paradox

1 or 2 drink a day increases cancer risk by 10-15%

see 

No benefit to die from cancer with healthy coronary arteries, except in France. Am J Cardiol. 2015 Nov 15;116(10):1646-7

The recent advice from the Chief Medical Officer in the UK is based on an analysis of risk data for a range of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity. Published in 2016 it reports the most recent meta-analyses of lifetime risk from alcohol consumption. It acknowledges that there is variation in risk on an individual level, epidemiological data indicates that even drinking at low levels contributes to health harms and so there is no level of drinking that is safe over the long term. there is only one section of the population which shows small significant benefits from reduced heart disease in later life: women aged 55 and older. this evidence needs qualifying as it is based on relative risk and could be outweighed by risk increases in other conditions. the analysis is available from the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group at Sheffield University, UK:

Holmes J et al. (2016) 'Mortality and morbidity risks from alcohol consumption in the UK: Analyses using the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model (v.2.7) to inform the UK Chief Medical Officers' review of the UK lower risk drinking guidelines', ScHARR, University of Sheffield.

the Chief Medical OfficerS

indeed Lucy it is a greta piece

the J shape curve is a bias! 

Stockwell, T., Zhao, J., Panwar, S., Roemer, A., Naimi, T., Chikritzhs, T. ( 2016) Do "moderate" drinkers have Reduced mortality risk? A systematic review and meta-analysis of alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 77, 185-98.

Stockwell, T., Greer, A., Fillmore, K., Chikritzhs., T, Zeisser, C. (2012) How good is the science? BMJ, 344, e2276.

the alcohol lobby fooled too many (and paid to many also)

Jackson, R., Broad, J., Connor, J., Wells, S. (2005) Alcohol and ischaemic heart disease: probably no free lunch. Lancet, 366, 1911–2.

Dear Jalal

 Drinking alcohol can lead to brain and liver disease, high blood pressure, various cancers, and birth defects, among other healthy and social problems. However, some articles talk about moderate alcohol use that may provide certain health benefits, particularly with regard to coronary heart disease.

In the same direction, please, read articles in the link:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/21527443_Public_perceptions_of_the_risks_and_benefits_of_alcohol_use

and :

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/40026458_fig1_Figure-1-Association-between-alcohol-consumption-and-coronary-heart-disease-in-men-and

Good Luck

Article Public perceptions of the risks and benefits of alcohol use

Dr. Hassan, Thanks a lot for providing some good papers and for your time to put an answer to my question. Regards, Jalal