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According to experts, 4,600 lives in the UK could be saved eachyear just by cutting down on the daily alcohol intake to just overhalf a unit (5 g). In England, alcohol related health problems areestimated to cost the NHS 3.3 billion per year. The study hasbeen published in the online version of BMJ Open. The researchers state that the current government recommendationsof 3 to 4 units per day for men (i.e. 24-32g) and 2 - 3 units forwomen (16-24g) may "not be compatible with optimum protection ofpublic health." One unit is defined as 8 g or 10 ml of purealcohol, a pint of standard beer therefore contains 2 to 3 units,whilst a 175 ml glass of wine has around 2 units. The researchers calculated what impact changing regular drinkers'average alcohol consumption and raising the percentage ofnon-drinkers would have on the health of England's entirepopulation. They evaluated the effect on the death toll from 11conditions, which were at least in part associated with alcoholconsumption by using the Preventable Risk Integrated ModEl forAlcohol (PRIME-Alcohol). Conditions included cirrhosis of the liver, coronary heart disease , high blood pressure , stroke , five cancers , diabetes , and epilepsy. Part of their calculations included a meta-analysis of publishedresearch in order to quantify the risk of chronic disease risk fordifferent levels of alcohol consumption. To obtain weeklylevels of alcohol consumption in grams from 15,000 UK adults, theteam used information from the 2006 General Household Survey anddiscovered that in that year less than a third (29%) of adults inthe UK were classed as non-drinkers, i.e. they drank less than 1gper day, whilst 170,558 people died from the 11 alcohol-relatedconditions. They then calculated that just over half a unit ofalcohol, i.e. 5g would be the optimal level of consumption forcurrent drinkers as it would prevent or delay about 4,579 prematuredeaths. This equates to 3% of all deaths from the 11 conditions. According to the calculations, a 5g consumption of alcohol wouldresult in 843 additional cardiovascular disease deaths, but thiswould be balanced out by over 2,600 fewer cancer deaths (8% less)and a reduction of nearly 3,000 fewer liver cirrhosis deaths (49%less). They write: "However, our modeling shows that when multiple conditions areconsidered simultaneously, the levels of alcohol that wouldactually be likely to be associated with reduced risk of chronicdisease are much lower than is generally accepted or recommended bygovernment." The researchers confirm a widespread belief of alcohol protectingagainst cardiovascular disease. They do not recommend thatnon-drinkers start consuming alcohol for health benefits, statingthere much safer ways of reducing the risk of cardiovasculardisease. They also state encouraging abstinent people to startdrinking simultaneously with encouraging drinkers to cut down "is amixed message that may be difficult to communicate." In a concluding statement, the researchers write: "It is likely that government recommendations would need to be setat a much lower level than the current 'low risk' drinkingguidelines in order to achieve [the best possible outcomes forpublic health]." Written By Petra Rattue Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations. I am an expert from plastic-recyclingmachines.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Waste Plastic Recycling Machine , Single Shaft Shredder, Pet Strap Extrusion Line,and more.
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