Health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption and how much you should drink: what the experts say
A few alcoholic drinks a week has been shown to lower certain cancer risks, help the brain clear away toxins and stave off depression. But it is not always clear where to draw the line, and Hong Kong authorities urge caution
Hongkongers are drinking more alcohol, according to the Department of Health. It published a study last November showing that the percentage of the population that drank had risen from 33.3 per cent to 61.4 per cent in a little over 10 years. But is that all bad?
The department takes a firm line. It warns that “alcoholic beverages are cancer-causing in humans”, with a spokesman explaining that “there is evidence to confirm ethanol associated with the consumption of alcohol is carcinogenic to humans; drinking can cause cancers of [the] oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colorectum, and female breasts”.
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The spokesman adds: “According to the WHO [World Health Organisation], which warns there are no safe or harmless levels of drinking, alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 diseases and injury conditions.”
Adding to the discussion, a recent study on “risk thresholds for alcohol consumption” published in British medical journal The Lancet got the world’s attention when it suggested lower limits for alcohol consumption than those recommended under most countries’ current guidelines.
The study spawned a number of eye-catching headlines: “One drink a day ‘can shorten life’,” said the BBC, while The Guardian chimed in with “Drinking is as harmful as smoking.” Yahoo News went with “Alcohol guidelines in many countries may not be safe.”
