Study debunks long-held belief that moderate drinking is good for you

The research shows drinking moderate amounts of alcohol every day does not protect against death from heart disease and, moderate drinking does not contribute to a longer life either.

Gillian Neff and Bob Doda

Apr 2, 2023, 5:14 PM

Updated 561 days ago

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The findings from two new lifestyle studies might make you think twice about how you spend your time and energy and what you drink.
The first study, found in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open, serves up some disappointing news for those who enjoy a glass of wine or another alcoholic beverage each day.
It's one of the largest studies to "debunk" the long-held belief that moderate drinking is good for you.
Specifically, the research shows drinking moderate amounts of alcohol every day does not protect against death from heart disease and, moderate drinking does not contribute to a longer life either.
The study examined existing research on the health and drinking habits of nearly 5 million people to find even drinking relatively low levels of alcohol increased the risk of death – that’s less than 1 ounce a day for women and about 1.5 ounces per day for men.
The second study found that steady friendships may help your physiological health.
The study, found in the Journal Society for Personality and Social Psychology, discovered positive social experiences improve a person's stress level and ability to cope, and also impact markers of physical health.
However, they also found that social relationships that bounce between good and bad can often be unhelpful when there is a lot of volatility, researchers found the negative experiences had a bigger impact on a person than the positive.