Many times we have heard that “a glass of wine a day is good for our health.” We have also heard that “the Recommended alcohol amount It is zero. ”Who is right in this debate?
The debates about the benefits and prejudices of a food are not exclusive to fermented drinks such as wine or beer. The relationship between eggs and cholesterol is a classic example but we can also find apparent contradictions regarding coffee consumption, rice or potatoes.
Human health has many dimensions and our nutrition is very varied (even the poorest diets involve the consumption of a wide range of compounds present in the ingredients of the product or in their additions). Studying in detail The effect of each product is difficult precisely for this reason.
That is why science often advances slowly, with the succession of seemingly contradictory studies that are actually simply refining the aim. However, the accumulation of these experiments is granting us a better idea of what happens in our body when we consume alcohol, even when this consumption is restricted to “a glass or two” wine.
To better understand the debate, we can start asking us, what is good for wine? The idea that wine can be beneficial to our health is mainly based on polyphenols, non -nutritious substances but with antioxidant capacity.
These compounds present in the grapes from which wine is fermented, can be beneficial to our health. The problem here is that There are non -alcoholic alternatives where these compounds are also present, such as must or grape itself.
In part due to these compounds, potential benefits on our cardiovascular health are usually attributed to the wine. Experts believe that this improvement could be due to the fact that these compounds favor the reduction of blood pressure and reduce cholesterol. Still there is some discrepancy in this regard among the different studies.
A drink with risks
Cancer is one of the main risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption. AND There are several types of cancer which have been associated with this consumption: in addition to the liver, alcohol consumption has been linked to oral cavity cancer, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, colorectal and, in the case of women, with breast cancer.
“The response to whether the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is clearly established is that yes, there is sufficient evidence,” explained Marina Pollán, director of the National Center for Epidemiology, in statements collected by Science Media Centre (SMC) Spain. The risk, of course, “is proportional to the amount of alcohol ingested, being lower for moderate consumption.”
But beyond cancer, excessive alcohol consumption has been conventionally linked to the appearance of the Hepatic cirrhosis (which can also lead to cancer). This disease arises with the formation of “scars” in our liver, and can also be caused by hepatitis.
While we link moderate consumption of wine to an improvement in heart health, alcohol consumption can have an opposite effect. This has also been related to the appearance of alcoholic myocardiopathy, arrhythmias and other heart problems.
It should not forget the relationship between alcohol consumption and mental health problems such as addiction itself, being able to exacerbate existing problems.
Several studies conducted in recent decades have pointed out alcohol as the most harmful psychoactive substance in social terms. One of the most outlined studies in this field was carried out in the United Kingdom and published in 2010.
Posted in The Lancetits results indicated that this was not so much to the damage it generated in the individual (in this sense it was overcome by heroin, the crackand methamphetamine), but for its social cost. However, these risks are generally manifested after consumptions that we consider “excessive”, in contrast to “moderate” consumption that is often promoted. The problem is that, beyond social conventions or recommendations perhaps without excessive scientific foundation, we do not know if there is such a thing as moderate consumption.
According to the monograph alcohol 2021. Consumption and consequences, of the Spanish Observatory of Drugs and Addictions, this border does not exist, or in the words of the text itself: “There is no level of risk of alcohol free of risk.”
That is why the health authorities speak not of “moderate” consumption but “low risk” consumption. The risk is never zerobut it is possible to keep it low.
And how much is considered “low”? According to the report limits of low alcohol risk consumption, this would be two standard drink units (UBE) in men and one in the case of women. These “standard” measures are equivalent to 10 g of alcohol or, in terms of wine, approximately a 100 ml glass.
It is not the same to ensure that moderate alcohol consumption is compatible with a healthy life than to say that this moderate consumption is beneficial to health. Nor is it the same to say that wine can generate a specific benefit in our well -being with ensuring that this possible benefit can be greater than the risks involved in this or other alcoholic beverages.
As we pointed out at the beginning, alcoholic beverages (like any other food) contain a myriad of compounds, some harmful, other beneficial for their operation. The general consensus is that the damages of compounds such as alcohol are superior to the benefits that others such as polyphenols can provide.
In short, a glass of wine a day can hardly kill us, but We must be aware of the risks They are associated with her. As always, a balanced diet and an active life can always help us reduce our risk of suffering certain diseases, perhaps even helping us to compensate for these small excesses that we can incur.
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Image | Helena Lopes
*An earlier version of this article was published in August 2024
