Study Reveals Risks of Premature Death in Wine Drinkers

Overview of Alcohol Consumption Guidelines

A study featured in The Lancet examines the dangers associated with premature death among wine drinkers, suggesting that recommended consumption limits should be significantly lower than the current guidelines in the United States. These national recommendations for alcohol intake differ worldwide. The U.S. sets its upper limit at 196 grams per week, equating to roughly 11 glasses of wine or pints of beer. In contrast, Canada recommends a limit of 15 drinks weekly, while countries like Italy, Portugal, and Spain have even higher allowances.

Key Findings from the Study

The recent research combines data from 599,912 alcohol consumers across 83 studies conducted in 19 high-income nations. Participants reported their alcohol consumption over a twelve-month span, and researchers tracked mortality rates among them. Notably, approximately half of the respondents indicated that they consumed over 100 grams of alcohol weekly, with 8.4% exceeding 350 grams per week.

Link Between Alcohol Consumption and Mortality

Upon analyzing the correlation between alcohol intake and premature death, researchers discovered that mortality risks—regardless of the cause—increased for those consuming more than 100 grams of alcohol weekly. High levels of alcohol consumption were linked to elevated risks of various health issues, including stroke, coronary diseases, heart failure, fatal hypertensive diseases, and fatal aortic aneurysms.

Study Outcomes and Implications

During the study period, 40,317 deaths were recorded, with 39,018 attributed to cardiovascular diseases. These findings align with recent changes in the United Kingdom, which reduced its recommended alcohol intake limit to 100 grams per week from beer, wine, or other beverages. Researchers estimate that if the U.S. were to lower its recommendation from 196 grams to 100 grams per week, a 40-year-old drinker could potentially see an increase in life expectancy of one to two years.

Reference

Wood, A.M. et al. (2018). Risk thresholds for alcohol consumption: combined analysis of individual-participant data for 599,912 current drinkers in 83 prospective studies. The Lancet. 391: 1513-1523.