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Moderate Drinking Still Probably Won’t Save Your Life
Why alcohol is probably still bad for your health
Every few months we see the same headline come around. There are variations — themes on the original, slight divergences from the main idea — but the essential story sounds the same. The media reports that “Moderate drinking will save your life!”.
And, of course, because we all love a glass of bubbly, we clink our glasses and rejoice.
This story has been repeated recently, with the Daily Mail declaring that “Drinking a beer or glass of wine a day could PROTECT you from getting heart disease”, and dozens of other news sources picking up the charge as well. Based on a new study from Australia, the headlines appear to argue that you can improve your health with booze, in contrast to what we’ve all been told for years!
But, like all stories that sound too good to be true, the idea of moderate drinking and health is far more complex than it first appears. The reality is that, while alcoholic drinks can be delicious, they almost certainly aren’t going to save your life.
