Health officials around the world are standing by each other in questioning the validity of the so-called benefits when you drink aclohol. In the last decade, the aclohol industry claims they have invested time and effort to research the benefits of drinking alcohol only to be refuted by Health and Human Services from the U.S. and the U.K. today.
Studies have specified that these health benefits can be achieved by drinking responsibly. 5 of the major benefits a person can get through moderate consumption of alcoholic drinks are Increase in sex drive, lowered chances of cardiovascular diseases, strengthened immune system, reduced the odds of developing dementia and lowered risk of getting diabetes.
While alcohol companies put emphasis on how consumers should drink with moderation, this premise was challenged by the director of the University of Victoria's Center for Addictions Research in Canada. "A fundamental question is, who are these moderate drinkers being compared against?" asks Stockwell.
Drinking moderately means a drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men, but according to the reports released by the World Health Organization - even if some people consume low amounts of alcohol, there are still possiblities they can be vulnerable to coronary disease especially for those who are aged 40 years or older.
Unfortunately, recent discoveries show that drinking alcohol deactivates folate in the blood and tissues and it blocks the B vitamin absorption as well. Therefore, validating the belief that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of getting cancers.
There were findings that women who consumed excessive amounts of alcohol had low levels of folate in their blood which make them likely to develop breast cancer. This is mainly the reason why AB InBev together with SABMiller launched a program that enforces reduction of alcohol consumption in six cities, and the it should be reduced by 10 percent in 10 years.
According to Wall Street Journal, alcohol companies are not taking these new guidelines well. It's been said that they are already working on several protective legislative measures that will put them on the offensive.
While these findings provided by health officials and alcohol companies are inconclusive, AB InBev, spirit maker Diageo, Heineken, and Pernod Ricard have contributed more than $55.4 million to conduct clinical trials so they'll be able to provide a definitive answer for public health reasons for consumers.
