Daily glass of wine increases risk of premature death by 20%, study finds

The health benefits of a glass of wine or an alcoholic drink might have been somewhat overestimated, according to a study showing that regular consumption of alcohol – even within the "safe" limits – significantly increased the risk of premature death.

US researchers focusing on the impact of light and regular consumption of alcoholic beverages revealed that alcohol drinkers at least four days a week increased their risk of premature death by an average of 20%.

Previous research has suggested that daily consumption of a daily drink would be beneficial for the heart, which is attributed to the beneficial antioxidants of red wine, the reduced risk of blood clots or simply its anti-stress properties. as a social lubricant.

However, doctors at the Washington School of Medicine have shown that these benefits disappear in people who drink regularly and that other risks outweigh them.

"We now know that even the lightest daily drinkers have an increased risk of death," said Dr. Sarah Hartz, the first author of the research in the journal. Alcoholism: clinical and experimental research Wednesday.

"Eating one or two drinks about four days a week seemed to protect against cardiovascular disease, but drinking every day removes these benefits," she added. "Regarding the risk of cancer, any alcohol consumption was detrimental."

In the UK, according to current guidelines, adults should not drink more than 14 units per week, that is, six glasses of medium-sized wine (175 ml) per week or a quart of beer (titrated at 4%).

Health officials have also recently called on middle-aged drinkers to make sure they have "no alcohol days" during the week.

For their study, Dr. Hartz and his colleagues analyzed data from more than 400,000 American adults aged 18 to 85 and found that the risk of prematurely dying by 20% was higher, regardless of the cause, consumed more than three days a week.

It follows a broad review in Speart medical review that leads to similar conclusions, but leads the authors to argue that there is no benefit from alcohol consumption and suggests that guidelines recommend that absenteeism be recommended.

The latest study found a 20% increase in risk across all age groups. However, although the authors say that people between the ages of 20 and 30 – where mortality rates are naturally lower – may not fear a 20% increase in this risk, this could help guide the consumption of Alcohol targeted at age.

"As people get older, their risk of death, regardless of their cause, also increases. Thus, a 20% increase in risk at age 75 results in many more deaths than at age 25, "said Dr. Hartz.

"If you tailor medical recommendations to a person, it may happen that you thought that an occasional consumption of alcohol could be helpful.

"But overall, I think people should no longer consider that a glass of wine a day is kind of healthy."