This sounds like it’s kind of official.

Photo by Andrey Zvyagintsev on Unsplash
Photo by Andrey Zvyagintsev on Unsplash
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MULTIPLE recent studies are indicating that drinking ANY amount of alcohol is bad for you. Specifically, for your heart and cardiovascular system.

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Wait, whatever happened to “an occasional glass of wine is good for your heart”??  And aren’t they always changing their minds about whether chocolate is good for you or not?

This seems pretty unanimous though. Recent studies done by the most prestigious sources are saying that there is “no amount of alcohol” that is beneficial for your health. That includes an occasional glass of wine.

First, there’s this extensive study from Harvard and M.I.T.  It says that alcohol is the seventh leading risk factor for premature death and accounts for 6.8% of all male deaths in a given year. YIKES!

Photo by Blake Wisz on Unsplash
Photo by Blake Wisz on Unsplash
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Even one drink a day had a .5% increase in the risk of developing alcohol-related health problems. But…for people who have FIVE drinks a day, that increased risk goes up by a WHOPPING 37%!  Five drinks?? There’s more than that in a six-pack!

A separate study out of the UK found that even two or three beers a week can “lead to cognitive decline”. No wonder they call booze “stupid soup”.

Finally, research out of the University of Washington found that, for younger people especially, the amount of alcohol you can safely imbibe without negative effects is laughably low. As in, they’re not measuring in glasses. They’re measuring in tablespoons. For women under 40, it’s two tablespoons of wine a day, or a quarter of a can of beer. For MEN under 40, it’s ONE tablespoon of wine or a single shot glass of beer.

That U of W study is the only one that has ANY good news. It says that very moderated alcohol intake MIGHT have some minor benefits for older people, like slightly lowering the risk for heart disease. An otherwise healthy person over 40 can safely drink half a glass of wine or half a beer. Whoopee.

Photo by Kelsey Chance on Unsplash
Photo by Kelsey Chance on Unsplash
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I’m going to mention here that this research was done by scientists in the laboratory going over tons and tons of data. I'm the one out there in the FIELD doing the REAL research, man!

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