Drink to your health! But in moderation...

In just a few more weeks, most of us will be making merry, celebrating either Christmas or New Year; many of us both. We will be surrounded by good cheer, good company, good food, and very likely, copious amounts of alcohol.

While alcohol is a staple at many joyous events, we know that too much of a good thing can turn out to be deleterious to our health. Studies over the years have shown that alcohol can be a double-edged sword. While it appears to guard against certain cardiovascular diseases, over-consumption may lead to other health complications.

The good news first. Just last month, a Spanish study found that long-term moderate drinking decreased the risk of heart disease by up to one-third in men. Even better news: the type of alcohol – wine, spirits or beer – made no difference to the results. It turns out that men have greater reason to rejoice than women, for whom the study found alcohol consumption having far less health benefits.

The study found that the ideal amount to drink for men is less than two glasses of wine or a couple of beers a night. Men who drank this amount saw their risk fall by more than 50 percent in the 10 year study on 15,500 men.

Other experts warn however, that the findings should be treated with a circumspect, as they do not take into account illnesses from a range of other diseases caused by excessive or binge drinking.

UK experts said the findings should be treated with caution because they do not take into account ill-health from a range of other diseases caused by excess drinking. Whilst moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of having a heart attack, coronary heart disease is just one type of heart disease. Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, is associated with high alcohol intake and can lead to a poor quality of life and premature death as well, according to the British Heart Foundation. The heart is just one of many organs in the body. While alcohol could offer limited protection to one organ, abuse of it can damage the heart and other organs such as the liver, pancreas and brain.

Stroke experts meanwhile also caution that people who drank a large amount of alcohol regularly appear to be at a three-fold risk of having a stroke.

The Stroke Association noted that overall, evidence indicated that people who regularly consumed a large amount of alcohol had a three-fold increased risk of stroke.

Meanwhile, the British Liver Association advises: “There have been several studies suggesting that small amounts of alcohol can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in men over the age of 40. But these are often misinterpreted by people looking for a health reason to consume alcohol. If you want to look after your health, stay within the limits of no more than 3-4 units a day for men or 2-3 for women and aim to give yourself at least two days off alcohol a week.”

However, it should be noted as well that these statistics were based on studies done on European subjects who generally have a larger body mass than Asians and may thus process alcohol differently than Asians.

So, with all the merrymaking that will be taking place in the coming weeks, it may be fine to protect your heart with a little alcohol, but be sure not to harm your other organs with too much of it either. And whatever alcohol’s benefits, remember that physical exercise is still the best way to stay healthy!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!