There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that drinking too much alcohol is dangerous to your health, to the health of others and to society as a whole. For some people, even very few drinks of beer, wine or spirits per week can be harmful. And we wholeheartedly recommend to all of our readers, young and old, to drink and eat responsibly and with a conscious mind.
That said, we also want to point out the solid scientific evidence, that moderate alcohol consumption is actually beneficial to the health of most people.
Moderate means about 1 to 2 drinks for women and 3 to 4 drinks for men. A drink is defined as 12 – 14 g alcohol, which corresponds to about 1 to 2 glasses of white or red wine, 1 to 2 bottles of beer or one glass of hard liquor.
According to the Mayo Clinic, moderate consumption of alcohol in any form reduces the risk of developing heart disease, of dying of a heart attack or stroke, developing gallstones or diabetes
And, not surprisingly, a review of numerous scientific studies, as reported in Science Direct indicates that light and moderate alcohol consumption reduces stress, increases overall affective expression, happiness, euphoria, conviviality and pleasant and carefree feelings, decreases depression, and improves certain types of cognitive performance, such as problem-solving and short-term memory. Moreover, alcohol in low and moderate doses has been effective in the treatment of geropsychiatric problems.