Alcohol is harmful even in small quantities

The argument that drinking a little alcohol is good for the health of the heart and blood vessels has been scientifically undermined. Even moderate consumption increases the risk of stroke. This is the conclusion of a large-scale study published Friday in the medical-scientific journal The Lancet .

The study refutes the much repeated idea that alcohol in large quantities is particularly harmful to health (with an increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease and associated premature death) but that a moderate consumption of alcohol is actually beneficial. The slogan of the alcohol industry, "Enjoy it, but drink in moderation" has had its day. The new recommendation of the Dutch Health Council not to drink alcohol or at least to limit it to one drink a day receives new evidence.

Half a million test subjects

The new study by British and Chinese scientists rely on data on alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease at half a million -million Chinese. Because epidemiological data is genetically related, more precise conclusions can be drawn about the effect of alcohol on cardiovascular disease. Classical epidemiological studies on alcohol and heart disease invariably have a rolled U-shape; Abstainers and very moderate drinkers had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than moderate drinkers who used one or two glasses per day. People who drank more were again at higher risk, heavy drinkers more often.

See also: Study interrupted on a glass a day

Represented conventionally, the Chinese data also show the shape in u. It was still uncertain that the U-shape reflects a beneficial effect of alcohol. Critics have maintained that the left leg of the u was a distortion of reality. This was due to the fact that there were also a lot of people among the non-drinkers who did not drink alcohol because of poor health and who therefore also presented a higher risk of illness. cardiovascular.

But by also including genetic information, this bias can be filtered by people in poor health. The new research shows an upward trend: there is no protective effect of a small amount of alcohol.

Research ingeniously uses the fact that Asians sometimes have mutations in their DNA that make it more difficult for their bodies to transform their alcohol. Because of this genetic predisposition, these people have red cheeks even after a small glass of alcohol and have a quick hangover. In practice, these people drink so rarely or rarely.

See also: "Alcohol is really bad"

More accurate with DNA

"In this way, you can focus only on the effects of alcohol on the body" says Bob Siegerink University Hospital Charity in Berlin, who did not participate directly in the research. "By using the genetic makeup of participants to predict the amount of alcohol you are going to drink, you can make more accurate predictions than questionnaires that people must complete." This gives an idea of ​​the net health risk posed by alcohol. "

Mutations that have an effect on alcohol degradation are rare, if at all, but according to Siegerink, it makes no difference. "The research was designed so that the causal effects of alcohol can be generalized to any population in the world.Moreover, mutations in both genes affect only the degradation of the human body." Alcohol and can not affect the heart and vessels in any other way.The check is also good in research because Chinese women with the same genetic background barely drink.The negative effect of the alcohol on the heart and blood vessels is therefore mainly observed among the Chinese of the study.

However, there are differences in the Chinese and Western ways of life that could possibly influence the result In China, men drink especially alcohol, and if they do, it's mainly spirits, here it's mainly beer and wine, and three quarters of the Chinese also smoke. , here less than a quarter of the population. Siegerink, however, remains convinced of the result. "In China, because of an unhealthy lifestyle, the absolute risk of cardiovascular disease is higher, but the added risk of drinking alcohol in addition to this also applies here. "

Should not we drink a drop? "When you are asked if you can omit alcohol, the answer is actually always yes," said Siegerink. "But if you limit the consumption of alcohol, its effect will of course be limited.You also have to look at what is the alternative.If you replace the beer with a coke and an extra bitterbal, you must also weigh the consequences. "