Written by Providr Contributor
When you hear the term alcohol, you automatically associate it with negative aspects. I can’t fault you for this since alcohol has been proven to have many adverse health effects on the human body. But what if I told you that new research has surfaced that would suggest that moderate consumption of alcohol could lead to a longer life? (The keywords being moderate consumption). Time has released an article which states that drinking alcohol can lead to a longer, more prosperous life.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual conference is where this research was presented. The individual behind these findings is neurologist Claudia Kawas, who states that drinking two glasses of beer or wine a day can reduce the risk of premature death. In fact, she adds that it has even better statistics than those who exercise on a daily basis.
In order to determine this conclusion, Kawas and her colleagues took data from a long-term study that was conducted at the UC Irvine’s Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders and analyzed it. The study was called the 90+ study, which has been following elderly individuals who lived to be historic landmarks since 2003. The reason this study exists was to see which lifestyle practices gave people the best longevity.
After her team analyzed the data from the study, they concluded that individuals who consumed two glasses of wine or beer per day reduced their risk of early death by an astonishing 18%. To compare that statement, individuals who exercised between 15 to 45 minutes per day cut the exact same risk, but only by 11%.
This new found research suggests that consuming alcohol could be the secret to living a longer life. But this study isn’t the first to link alcohol to a longer life though. A 2015 study published in the journal BMJ Open found that those suffering from mild Alzheimer’s and moderately drank were less likely to die. In addition, a 2017 study that’s published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that moderate drinkers reduced the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who didn’t drink.
For the 2017 study, over 333,000 people were surveyed about their alcohol consumption and the type of lifestyle they lived. They were tracked for an average of eight years. Those who were light and moderate drinkers reduced their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 25 to 30%.
Although research does suggest that moderate drinking could contribute to a longer life, we still need to remember that consuming large quantities of alcohol has consequences. If you are trying to lose weight, alcohol contains empty calories that will contribute to weight gain. I would also like to mention that if you are drinking alcohol, always make sure that you have the proper transportation home. Never drink and drive.
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