According to a new study in University of Miami, people who drink moderately have better chances of above-average health report than light drinkers, heavy drinkers or those who have never drank. However it is not clear whether moderate drinking leads to better health or whether moderate drinkers just have healthier lifestyles.
Researchers perused a data from more than 31,000 adults from a U.S. Census Bureau survey. The people surveyed answered queries about how much they drank, their health behaviours and chronic health conditions. Four to 14 drinks a week for men and four to seven drinks a week for women was considered as moderate drinking.
The results revealed that men who drank moderately were 1.27 times more likely to report above-average health compared to those who had given up drinking totally and former light drinkers. Women who were moderate drinkers were more than twice as likely to report above-average health as those who avoided drinking.
Researchers feel that the results may have some nexus with the healthy lifestyles of moderate drinkers as people who work out and eat healthy are presumably the same as those who drink moderately instead of heavily.
The study observes that the chief health benefit of moderate drinking is that it can eliminate cardiovascular disease, especially hardening of the arteries and stroke caused by blood clots.
However, though moderate drinking may have its benefits, the researchers warn about the dangers of heavy drinking and its negative effect on health.
The moral of the story is: there is no harm in drinking if you have the determination to draw the limits.
Image credit: medicineworld
