Health risks from alcohol higher in young adults

Young people face higher health risks from alcohol consumption than older adults. This is in accordance to a global study published in The Lancet journal. This is the first study to report alcohol risk by geographical region, age, sex, and year.

It suggests that global alcohol consumption recommendations should be based on age and location, with the strictest guidelines targeted towards males between ages 15-39, who are at the greatest risk of harmful alcohol consumption worldwide.

The study also suggests that adults aged 40 and older without underlying health conditions may see some benefits from small alcohol consumption-between one and two standard drinks per day-including a reduced risk in cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes.

In every region, the largest segment of the population drinking unsafe amounts of alcohol were males aged 15-39 and for this age group, drinking alcohol does not provide any health benefits and presents many health risks.

From the Global Burden of Disease data, the researchers were able to estimate the average daily intake of alcohol that minimises risk to a population.The study also estimates how much alcohol a person can drink before taking on excess risk to their health compared to someone who does not drink any alcohol.

So it was noted that the recommended amount of alcohol for people aged 15-39 before risking health loss was 0.13 standard drinks per day -- a little more than one-tenth of a standard drink.

In general, for individuals aged 40-64 years, safe alcohol consumption levels ranged from about half a standard drink per day to almost two standard drinks.

For individuals over 65 years, the risks of health loss from alcohol consumption were reached after consuming a little more than three standard drinks per day.

Therefore, these estimates suggest that small amounts of alcohol consumption in populations over 40 without underlying conditions may be associated with improved health outcomes, particularly those facing a higher burden of cardiovascular diseases.

Reference:

https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/diagnostics/young-people-face-higher-health-risks-from-alcohol-than-older-adults-lancet-study/92891185