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What is moderate drinking?

Moderate drinking is defined as up to four alcoholic drinks for men and three for women in any single day, according to The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAA), USA, and a maximum of 14 drinks for men and 7 drinks for women per week.

The National Health Service (NHS), UK, states that:

- Men should not *regularly consume more than 3 to 4 units of alcohol per day
- Women should not regularly consume more than 2 to 3 units per day
*Regularly means either everyday or most days of the week.

The NHS defines 1 unit of alcohol as 10ml (8g) of pure alcohol.

Why is the limit less for women?
Studies have shown that females begin having alcohol-related problems at lower drinking levels than males. There are four main reasons:

- Pound-for-pound, females have less water in their bodies than males. Alcohol disperses in body water.
- Women generally weigh less than men. The threshold for "safe" alcohol consumption is closely linked to body mass. There is less tissue in women to absorb the alcohol.
- Women usually have lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase (AHD) than men. AHD is a chemical that metabolizes (breaks down) alcohol in the liver. Consequently, alcohol remains in a woman's system longer, and accumulates faster.
- Hormonal factors probably also play a role in making women more susceptible than men to the effects of alcohol, experts say. Studies have found that with the same amount of drink, blood alcohol concentrations are at their highest just before menstruation and at their lowest on the first day after menstruation.

According to the Office of Alcohol and Drug Education at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, "A Woman will absorb about 30% more alcohol into her bloodstream than a man of the same weight who has consumed an equal amount."

How many units of alcohol are there in each drink?
It is not easy to tell how many units of alcohol there are in each drink. Drinks can vary in size and alcohol content. The NHS Alcohol Unit Calculator can help you determine how many units there are in just 1 or several drinks.

The benefits of "moderate" alcohol consumption
We read today about many studies extolling the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.

A "medium" (175ml) glass of 12% red wine, such as the one shown, has about 2 units of alcohol. A "large" (250ml) glass has about 3 unitsHowever, many of the messages are mixed; while on the one hand we are told alcohol in moderation can have some heart benefits, we also read that alcohol intake is associated with a higher risk of heart damage, cancer, psychiatric problems and liver disease.

When studies show the harms associated with consuming alcohol, they nearly always refer to binge drinking, alcohol abuse, or alcoholism.

When it comes to drinking alcohol and expecting a health benefit, moderation is the key. If you currently drink no alcohol at all, you should not start because of the health benefits, doctors say.

Below is a list of benefits linked to regular, moderate alcohol consumption:

Stroke - a study carried out at Brigham and Women's Hospital and published in the journal Stroke found that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption may lower the risk of stroke in women.

Another study found that red wine may protect the brain from stroke damage.

Dementia - a team at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that moderate alcohol intake reduced the risk of dementia in older adults.

Depression - a study on 2,683 men and 2,822 women aged 55 to 80 years found that regular moderate wine drinking may reduced the risk of developing depression. The Spanish researchers reported in the journal BMC Medicine that people who drank from 2 to 7 glasses of wine per week were much less likely to be diagnosed with clinical depression.

Colon and breast cancers - regular, moderate red wine drinkers are 50% less likely to develop bowel tumors compared to people who rarely or never drink wine, a team from the University of Leicester, England, found.

In another study, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles identified a link between regular red wine consumption and a lower risk of breast cancer. The scientists explained in the Journal of Women's Health that chemicals found in the seeds and skins of red grapes and red wine reduce estrogen levels while raising testosterone in premenopausal women, resulting in a reduced likelihood of developing breast cancer.

Cardiovascular - several studies have shown that moderate, regular alcohol intake is good for cardiovascular health. Investigators at University College London reported in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health that moderate drinking provides a significant cardioprotective benefit compared to abstinence or heavy drinking among people with with poor health behaviours (little exercise, poor diet and smokers). However, they added that the benefit was not detected among people with good health behaviors.

An Italian study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology found that moderate wine and beer consumption reduced the risk of cardiovascular events, but not spirits.

Scientists at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals found that moderate consumption of both vodka and wine can reduce cardiovascular risk, with wine offering greater protection.

Emphasis on moderation
While the consumption of alcohol in moderation appears to have some health benefits, it is important to remember that too much can be devastating for the health, and even life-threatening.

Too much alcohol can lead to:

depression
dementia
several other mental health problems
alcoholic hepatitis
anemia
arrhythmias
cancer of the breast, colon and rectum, liver, esophagus, larynx (voice box), pharynx (throat), mouth, and probably the pancreas, according to the American Cancer Society
cardiomyopathy (chronic disease of the heart muscle)
cirrhosis
fatty liver
gout
hypertension (high blood pressure)
nerve damage (alcoholic neuropathy)
seizures
stroke

(Articolo pubblicato dal CUFRAD sul sito www.alcolnews.it)