Does abstinence make the heart grow stronger?
We’ve long been told that a glass of red wine is good for the heart, but new evidence suggests otherwise.
The old saying has it that a little of what you fancy does you good but health officials in Canada are saying that’s not the case when it comes to alcohol.
The latest guidelines, released by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), state that no amount of alcohol is safe.
However, perhaps realising that many of us do enjoy the occasional tipple, the Canadians haven’t ruled out drinking out altogether. They’ve just reduced the recommended intake to no more than two alcoholic drinks a week, for both men and women.
The recommendation has sparked some backlash, with claims the risks are overblown and designed to instil fear in Canadians rather than present clear information to help them decide for themselves.
The Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) reported that the edict was based on a 2019 British study that compared the cancer risks of alcohol and tobacco.
That study found a standard drink was equivalent and comparable to one cigarette for men and two cigarettes for women. One bottle of wine per week is associated with an increase in lifetime cancer risk — the same as five cigarettes a week for men, or 10 for women.
Critics say there is nothing that clear in the new Canadian alcohol-use guidelines. They say the authors of the guidelines showed no evidence of a “radical” risk of cancer – except for people with liver diseases and a few other conditions – creating undue stress in the public.
But it seems the Canadians could be onto something.
Not so long ago, a glass of red wine, or certain other alcoholic beverages, a day was deemed to be good for you. Drinkers certainly wanted to believe that was the case.
Scientists have now found that “low-volume alcohol drinking [is] not associated with protection against death from all causes”. In other words, a tipple a day, even of red wine, is not going to make you live longer.
That’s backed up by research over the past six to seven years that has debunked suggestions that moderate alcohol consumption has any health benefits.
“In the last 10 years this idea is fading away. [It] has been refuted in study after study now because we’re now able to do better quality studies,” Sydney University’s Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis told The Australian.
The “good” news we wanted to believe, that the polyphenols, antioxidants, and tannins in red wine were good for the heart, was never true.
“I don’t think there is scientific evidence to back that up,” Prof Stamatakis said.
What’s more, drinking is associated with “a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality” and those who don’t drink live longer. The higher risk of mortality kicks in for women if consumption is two drinks a day or more, whereas for men three or four drinks a day is the threshold for harm.
In Australia, the recommendation is no more than 10 drinks a week and no more than four in one session.
While Canada’s guidelines are based on good evidence, Prof Stamatakis says they’re unlikely to be replicated here.
“The Canadian guidelines have been criticised for being non-realistic,” he said. “We have to acknowledge that alcohol is a very big part of our … social life.
“We’re not talking about demonising alcohol and advising abstinence. There’s no doubt that this would alienate many people in terms of the health message.”
He says Australians can manage the risks and advises four or five days of abstinence every week. On the days you do drink, one or two is preferred but you should have no more than four at once.
For more information about safe drinking, click on these Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol.
Related reading: CBC, The Australian, Jama Network, NHMRC
