Medicine

The Nugget

Moderate consumption of red wine, champagne plus white wine, beer, and fortified wine is associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and chronic kidney disease (CKD) when kept below the safe dose thresholds. Total alcohol consumption should be less than 11 grams per day for men and 10 grams per day for women.

Make it stick

🍷 Red wine rule: No more than 7 glasses a week for men, 6 for women.
🍾 Champagne limit: 5 glasses a week for both sexes.
🍻 Beer cap: Up to 2 pints a week for women.
🥂 Avoid spirits: Even small amounts tend to increase CVD risk.

Participants: 502,490 UK Biobank participants aged 40-69.
Data Collection: Self-reported weekly alcohol consumption via questionnaire (2006-2010, reassessed in 2012-2013).
Follow-up period: Median of ~11.5 years for all-cause mortality, CVD, and CKD.
Analysis: Evaluated the relationship between various types of alcohol and primary health outcomes (all-cause mortality, CVD, CKD).
Safe Doses: Red wine: <7 glasses/week for men, <6 for women. Champagne/white wine: <5 glasses/week. Beer: <2 pints/week for women. Fortified wine: <4 glasses/week for both.
The study is observational, reliant on self-reported data, thus keeping some inherent bias and limits in causal inference.

Prospective Cohort Study: Observational study where participants are followed over time to examine outcomes relative to exposures.
All-Cause Mortality: Death from any cause.
CVD (Cardiovascular Disease): Diseases related to the heart and blood vessels.
CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease): Long-term kidney damage leading to gradual loss of kidney function.
HR (Hazard Ratio): Measure of the risk of a specific event occurring in one group compared to another.

U-shaped Relationship: Low to moderate alcohol intake is associated with a lower risk of certain diseases compared to both teetotaling and heavy drinking.
Inverse Association with CKD: Moderate alcohol consumption correlates with decreased risk of CKD.

Men: Total <11g/day, red wine <7 glasses/week.
Women: Total <10g/day, red wine <6 glasses/week, beer <2 pints/week.
Avoid Spirits: Increased CVD risk is associated even with low consumption of spirits.

"Total alcohol consumption showed a U-shaped relationship with the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality."
"Red wine, champagne plus white wine, beer, and fortified wine below the corresponding thresholds of safe dose were significantly associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, CVD, and CKD."
"Spirits were positively associated with the risk of CVD; thus, it’s advisable to avoid consuming spirits."
"These findings suggest people should moderate their alcohol consumption according to the type of alcoholic beverages as part of a healthy lifestyle."

This summary contains AI-generated information and may have important inaccuracies or omissions.