Is moderate alcohol consumption a good thing?

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If you've followed the health news headlines over the last few years, you've probably received some mixed messages on the health effects of moderate amounts of alcohol. Many doctors insist that some types of alcohol—particularly wine, but beer and spirits aren't categorically excluded—can actually be beneficial if consumed in moderation, while other experts are at least skeptical. This constant back and forth is enough to confuse the issue for any casual observer.

Of course, a healthy dose of skepticism toward the health benefits of alcohol is a good thing. Alcoholism, binge drinking, and drunk driving are serious concerns worldwide. It’s understandable that doctors would not want to recommend drinking alcohol without also giving huge caveats with regard to these issues. So, treading lightly, let's look at how these issues currently stack up.

Can alcohol be good for health?

A survey of research put together by the State University of New York at Potsdam has catalogued over 100 academic studies that find specific benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. They include benefits with regard to longevity, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and numerous other conditions. Although many of these studies are redundant, the sheer number of legitimate studies and surveys in favor of moderate alcohol consumption is quite convincing.

In contrast, a 2006 study conducted at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto found that "on balance, the damage [of alcohol consumption] substantially outweighs the benefits," that "the health benefits of alcohol apply mainly to people over the age of 45," and that "one drink of beer, wine, or liquor every other day is enough." Moreover, they say that "more than two drinks a day does more harm than good," and that the detrimental health effects of alcohol are wide-ranging and serious.

Definite benefits and risks

To lay it all out, here's what we know at this time. For some people, particularly adults over the age of 40, moderate drinking may lower the risk of suffering from the following:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallstones
• Diabetes

And at any age, excessive drinking raises your risk of contracting these conditions:

• Cancer of the mouth, pancreas, larynx, pharynx, liver, esophagus, and breast
• Pancreatitis
• Heart muscle damage
• Stroke
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• High blood pressure
• Fetal alcohol syndrome in an unborn child
• Impaired motor skills

What does it all mean?

Weighing the balance of these risks and benefits can be a challenge. A 2003 study conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism mildly acknowledged the benefits of moderate consumption of alcohol but ended up concluding that there was no good reason to change longstanding alcohol-consumption recommendations. Similarly, the USDA recommends that women consume no more than one drink per day and men no more than two, but they hasten to add that that this maximum recommendation does not mean that alcohol consumption is generally recommended.

In the end, people who want to drink alcohol can use these findings to legitimately justify their moderate alcohol consumption, but doctors and other experts do us all a favor by remaining skeptical toward these benefits. Unless it's found that there is some magical ingredient in certain alcohol beverages (and some think that the resveratrol found in red wine is a good "magic ingredient" candidate), then we should accept that simply eating a healthy diet and exercising frequently could better obtain the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.

Finally, what can't be emphasized enough is that, if you're going to drink—whether for the health benefits or just for recreation—the key is to do it in moderation.