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REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC STUDIES SHOWS MODERATE DRINKING HAS SIGNIFICANT HEALTH BENEFITS A recent review by Dr. Michael Gough of scientific research on alcohol and health found that moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages appears to have significant health benefits for large portions of the population. The analysis of the scientific literature was done by Gough on behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). Gough's report was submitted in early December 1998 to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) in support of a court case brought by CEI and Consumer Alert. The two non-profit groups had filed suit in 1996 against the ATF for its ban on truthful information on labels about the health benefits of moderate drinking. Currently, only warnings about the potential dangers of alcohol consumption are allowed on alcoholic beverage labels. Gough, who has published extensively on various aspects of health policy, epidemiology and health risk assessment, noted that research articles published in prestigious scientific journals provide strong evidence that moderate alcohol consumption seems to benefit all people above the age of 35, except for those groups who should avoid alcohol altogether (pregnant women and those trying to conceive, recovering alcoholics, people operating machinery and those taking medications). Alcohol consumption has both good and bad effects, of course. Gough notes, "The beneficial effects of alcohol consumption are seen in people who consume about one to two alcoholic drinks daily, and the alcohol-related diseases are seen in people who drink more." The adverse effects of alcohol augmented diseases increase at higher consumption levels and include cirrhosis, alcoholism, and certain cancers. Several of the studies reviewed by Gough looked at the relationship of moderate alcoholic beverage consumption and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD), while others studied both these and mortality from other causes. The largest U.S. study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1997 (Michael J. Thun, Richard Peto et al, "Alcohol Consumption and Mortality Among Middle-Aged and Elderly U.S. Adults," NEJM 337: 1705-1714), according to Gough, found that moderate alcohol consumption reduced deaths from CVD by 30 to 40 percent in men . . ." and reduced CHD mortality about 30 percent." Although the major health benefits relate to significant risk reductions in cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, some of the studies show that moderate drinkers --- those who consume one to two glasses per day may reduce their overall mortality risk from all causes. Gough points out that the NEJM research shows that for both men and women, the overall reduction in mortality from one to two drinks per day was about 20 percent. Gough notes that the relationship between alcohol consumption and total mortality is described in one of the reviewed studies as a J-shaped curve, that is, the relative risk of mortality decreases for moderate drinkers compared to non-drinkers and then increases with higher alcohol levels. The federal dietary guideline for alcohol consumption issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states, "Current evidence suggests that moderate drinking is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease in some individuals." It also provides warnings for people who should avoid alcohol consumption. Gough says that the guideline understates those beneficial effects as shown in the research literature, "The scientific evidence for the beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption is stronger than indicated in the current federal dietary guidelines for the consumption of alcohol, and stronger statements are justified." In denying CEI's earlier petition (1995) to allow truthful information about moderate drinking's health benefits to appear on labels, ATF wrote in 1997 that there was "not significant scientific evidence to support an unqualified conclusion that moderate alcohol consumption has net health benefits for all or even most individuals." In his review, Gough noted, "This statement apparently ignores the decreases in mortality that are consistently seen in study populations that are described in the studies referenced in this paper." SOURCE: ìOn the Plateî [The National Consumer Coalition's (NCC) Food Group's monthly update on current food-related policies and proposals], Vol. III, No. 2 (February 1999). Available at: http://www.consumeralert.org/pubs/OnthePlat e/Feb99.htm |
