Should Moderate Alcohol Consumption be Promoted?

Abstract

Alcoholic beverages contain a variety of phytochemicals, but there islittle strong evidence regarding the effects of these substances onhealth.Alcohol creates many social problems. such as violence and accidents, aswell as negative health effects, most notably those related to cancerand fetal alcohol syndrome.Moderate consumption of alcohol is generally defined as two drinks a dayfor a man or one for a woman. This is associated with significantprotective effects against coronary heart disease and several otherdiseases and health problems.The relationship between alcohol consumption and overall mortalitydepends on age. Below age 40 alcohol is associated with an increasedrisk of death. For people older than about 50 or 60 alcohol consumptionhas a J-shaped relationship with risk of mortality the lowest risk ofdeath is seen in moderate drinkers.