The positive effects of low-level alcohol consumption

A small dose of alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of developing particular conditions, such as heart-disease, vascular dementia, gallstones and diabetes. The health benefits associated with alcohol consumption are summarised on the right (Anderson & Baumberg, 2006).

Positive outcomes of alcohol consumption outweigh the negative outcomes when the volume of consumed alcohol is associated with a lower risk of death. A UK study showed that consuming no or nearly no alcohol provides the lowest mortality risk for women under 65 and men under 35. The level of alcohol consumption with the lowest risk of death increases to less than 5g of alcohol a day (less than a half drink) for women aged 65 or over, and to less than 10g a day (less than one drink) for men aged 65 or over (White et al., 2002). A meta-analysis of prospective studies confirmed an inverse association of low alcohol consumption and mortality for woman and men. It showed an inverse association with total mortality for woman at a consumption level of 1-2 drinks per day, for men at 2-4 drinks a day. Lowest mortality risk was seen at about half a drink daily. Different associations for different ages were not determined in this study (Di Castelnuovo et al., 2006). While adult men and middle-aged women seem to have most benefit of consuming about half a glass a day, the lowest risk drinking-level probably returns to zero at a very old age (Anderson & Baumberg, 2006).

• social well being (pleasure; work);
• neuropsychiatric conditions (cognitive functioning; dementia);
• gastrointestinal, metabolic and endocrine conditions (gallstones; type II diabetes);
• cardiovascular diseases (ischaemic stroke; coronary heart disease (CHD)); and
• skeletal conditions (bone mass in woman).

Although alcohol may have a positive effect on a condition if a low dosage is consumed, a higher volume of alcohol consumption may be associated with negative consequences for the same condition.