Alcohol study finds only risks for the young but health benefits for people over 40

A bombshell alcohol study, funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, suggests that people under the age of 40 start risking their health if they consume any more than two teaspoons of wine or two and a half tablespoons of beer per day. But healthy adults above 40 can extract some benefits from drinking.

There are only risks and zero health benefits associated with drinking alcohol for young adults between the ages of 15 and 39, said the analysis—part of the wider Global Burden of Disease study—was published in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday.

Globally, almost 60% of people who consumed unsafe amounts of alcohol in 2020 fell into this age bracket, according to the findings.

Researchers suggested that the recommended amount of alcohol for the young is "a little more than one-tenth of a standard drink." Anything beyond this limit poses health risks. They defined a standard drink as 3.4 fluid ounces of red wine or 12 fluid ounces of beer.

The study's findings suggested that alcohol stops being "safe" to consume for under-40s after around two teaspoons of red wine or two and a half tablespoons of beer, reports Fortune.

So, what are the benefits, then?

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) research team found that for people over the age of 40 consuming alcohol each day could provide some health benefits.

This only applies if the individual has no underlying health problems and consumes only a small amount of alcohol. Only then can they gain benefits such as reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes.

An example of "a small amount" of alcohol was between one and two 3.4-ounce glasses of red wine, the study's authors said.

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, ongoing since 1990, uses data from 204 countries and territories, and is described as "the most comprehensive effort to date to understand the changing health challenges around the world."

"Our message is simple: Young people should not drink, but older people may benefit from drinking small amounts," Dr. Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said in a news release.

She acknowledged that this may not be realistic, but it is important that people make informed decisions about the impact of alcohol on their health.

The study echoes findings from some earlier studies that have suggested there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.

In 2021, an Oxford University study of more than 25,000 people found that there was "no safe dose of alcohol" when it comes to brain health.

An Irish study published this year concluded that alcohol may pose greater risks to the heart than previously thought, with one of the authors urging people to limit their weekly consumption to less than a bottle of wine or three and a half cans of beer.