Can booze REALLY make you live longer?

British health chiefs insist there is NO safe drinking limit. Yet last week a landmark study found drinking EVERY DAY can cut the risk of death by a fifth...

IT WAS news greeted nationwide with a chorus of ‘I’ll drink to that!’… a scientific report last week suggesting that light-to-moderate boozing slashes the risk of an early death by a fifth. It followed dozens of other studies that seemed to suggest drinking a moderate amount of alcohol (roughly 14 units a week for men and women) could protect you from various diseases, and even extend your life. Researchers from around the globe have linked moderate consumption to preventing the common cold, improving your sex life, and even reducing the risk of developing gallstones.

But hang on, don’t reach for another bottle just yet.

Didn’t the Chief Medical Officer, no less, recently advise us that there is no safe drinking level ‘because alcohol is toxic to the liver and other organs in the body’? In fact, Dame Sally Davies went as far as to say women should consider their risk of breast cancer every time they reach for a glass of wine – and advised the public to swap their Friday night tipple for a cup of tea.

So have the dangers been exaggerated for the sake of getting the message across? Can alcohol actually be good for you?

Confused? You’re not alone, so we asked the experts for the truth about drinking and how it may affect crucial aspects of your health…

THE MIXED MESSAGES

‘THE long-term effects of low alcohol consumption are complex and difficult to investigate – no wonder people might be confused,’ says Sir David Spiegelhalter, professor of the public understanding of risk at Cambridge University.

And Mr John Scurr, a leading consultant vascular surgeon at the Lister Hospital, Chelsea, agrees we’re getting mixed messages when it comes to the link between alcohol and health.

‘On the one hand, the Department of Health is taking a very firm line, saying alcohol is never safe. On the other, scientific studies keep showing alcohol can be beneficial in moderation. Yes, some people drink to excess and become addicted, but to say drinking is always wrong is simply misleading.’

Last year, the Department of Health revised its drinking guidelines, stating that men should drink no more than 14 units per week (down from 21) bringing them in line with the level for women.

It’s widely accepted that heavy drinking is linked to a host of health issues including cancer, poor mental health, liver disease and premature death. But what effect is your glass of wine with dinner having on your health?

LIVER DISEASE

TOO much alcohol can lead to a range of liver complaints, including fatty liver disease, hepatitis and other health problems.

But what is ‘too much’? Professor Rajiv Jalan, professor of hepatology at University College London, says healthy people do not need to abstain. ‘From the liver’s point of view, it is not necessary to avoid alcohol completely. It’s an organ designed to cope with a certain volume of toxins in the blood.

‘Alcohol is not beneficial to the liver, but it may not be harmful to it either – if you stick to one or two units at a time and don’t exceed the safe drinking guidelines.’ Indeed, ‘drinking small amounts, preferably during meals, appears to be the right way to drink alcohol,’ concluded one Italian study.

Older people, who may have built up tolerance to alcohol over the years, are actually more at risk of liver disease, says Professor Jalan. ‘The liver ages just like other organs. Over time, it renews itself more slowly and is damaged by alcohol more quickly. My advice to people past retirement age is to be careful because less alcohol will now cause more damage.’

Older people are also more likely to be taking prescription drugs which are metabolised in the liver. Alcohol can alter this metabolism and make it less effective. For example, drinking alcohol can inhibit the action of warfarin, used to thin the blood, and so increase the risk of blood clots and stroke.’

DIABETES

DRINKING can cause blood sugar to rise because alcohol contains a huge amount of calories – a pint of lager can be equivalent to a slice of pizza, according to the charity Drinkaware.

Obesity is, of course, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.

Drinking too much can also reduce the body’s sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that regulates the levels of sugar in the blood, making diabetes more likely.

But moderate drinking may actually help to protect against type 2.

Healthy adults who drank three units of alcohol a day lowered their risk of getting type 2 diabetes by up to 40 per cent for women and 13 per cent for men, according to a review of 15 previous studies published in journal Diabetes Care.

In fact, non-drinkers actually had the same risk of developing the disease as heavy drinkers, the researchers discovered.

‘It’s a very confusing picture when it comes to the link between alcohol consumption and type 2 diabetes,’ says writer and broadcaster Dr Michael Mosley, whose