Young individuals face more health risks from alcohol drinking than older adults, according to a new global study.
The survey indicates that global alcohol consumption recommendations be based on age and location, with the most stringent rules aimed at males aged 15 to 39, who are at the greatest risk of harmful alcohol consumption worldwide.
According to the research, adults aged 40 and older with no underlying health issues may benefit from moderate alcohol intake (one to two standard drinks per day), including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes.
The research collects extensive data on the global causes of illness and death and has decided that young people should not drink at all. Consuming little amounts of wine, beer, or other alcoholic beverages, on the other hand, may benefit older persons.
In 2020, over 6 in 10 (59 Per cent) of those who consumed hazardous amounts of alcohol were between the ages of 15 and 39. Almost 77 per cent of them were men.
Consuming a small amount of alcohol (for example, one to two 3.4-ounce glasses of red wine daily) for persons over 40 can have some health benefits, such as lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes. However, health risks differ by age and geography, according to the study.
“Our message is simple: Young people should not drink, but older people may benefit from drinking small amounts. While it may not be realistic to think young adults will abstain from drinking, we do think it’s important to communicate the latest evidence so that everyone can make informed decisions about their health,” said Emmanuela Gakidou, University of Washington professor of health metrics sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Wine glass of 13 per cent alcohol by volume red wine (100ml or 3.4 fluid ounces), beer 3.5 per cent alcohol by volume can or bottle (375 mL or 12 fluid ounces), spirits shot of whiskey or other spirits (30 mL or 1.0 fluid ounces) containing 40 per cent .
“Although the risks associated with alcohol consumption are similar for males and females, young males stood out as the group with the highest level of harmful alcohol consumption. This is because a larger proportion of males compared to females consume alcohol and their average level of consumption is also significantly higher,” says Gakidou.
Second, five alcohol-related outcomes’ relative risk curves have been modified. However, neither of these adjustments is responsible for the disparities in results.
The changes are caused by a unique way of weighting relative risk curves based on degrees of underlying disease, as well as the generation of more disaggregated estimates by gender, age, and geographical region.
The causes of all-cause mortality differ across groups, changing the proportional risk of alcohol on death.
Injuries accounted for the majority of alcohol-related harm in younger age groups across most geographical regions in our current review.
This resulted in a minimum risk level of zero, or very near to zero, among those aged 15 to 39 across all geographic regions.