The study of more than 340,000 British adults revealed the health risk associated with alcohol doesn’t just depend on how much you drink, but what you are drinking.
While drinking a couple of glasses of wine can cut the risk of dying from heart problems, drinking beer or cider increases that risk when the amount of alcohol consumed by the two groups was broadly the same, the research found.
“These findings can help refine guidance, emphasising that the health risks of alcohol depend not only on the amount of alcohol consumed, but also on the type of beverage,” said Zhangling Chen, a professor at the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University in China and the study’s senior author.
“Even low to moderate intake of spirits, beer or cider is linked to higher mortality, while low to moderate intake of wine may carry lower risk,” he added.
For the study, participants were asked about their diet and alcohol intake and their health was tracked for 13 years.
For men, drinking between 17.5 and 35 units a week was considered to be moderate drinking. However, women were considered to be moderate drinkers if they had between 8.75 and 17.5 units per week.
For context, 14 units is the equivalent to six pints of average-strength beer or six medium (175ml) glasses of average-strength wine. Drinking too much alcohol on a regular basis has been linked to several heart conditions, including cardiovascular disease.
Wine may also be drunk with a meal and by people who have healthier diets and lifestyles overall
However, moderate drinkers who opted for wine had a 21pc lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease in comparison to people who never drink or only drink alcohol occasionally.
In comparison, drinking low levels of spirits, beer or cider was associated with a 9pc increase in dying from cardiovascular disease compared with drinking never or occasionally.
There are certain compounds in red wine, such as polyphenols and antioxidants, that may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.
Wine may also be drunk with a meal and by people who have healthier diets and lifestyles overall, while beer and spirits are more likely to be consumed without food and by people with a lower quality diet overall. (© The Independent)