‘A man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying, since any life when viewed from the inside is simply a series of defeats.’ –George Orwell
A meta-analysis done by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) into the relationship between alcohol consumption and heart disease provides new insight into the long-held belief that drinking a glass of red wine a day can help protect against heart disease.
“It’s complicated,” says Dr. Juergen Rehm. “While a cardioprotective association between alcohol use and ischaemic heart disease exists, it cannot be assumed for all drinkers, even at low levels of intake,” says Dr. Rehm.
Ischaemic heart disease is a common cause of illness and death in the Western world. Symptoms are angina, heart pain, and heart failure. (…)
“Even one drink a day increases risk of breast cancer, for example,” says Dr. Rehm. “However, with as little as one drink a day, the net effect on mortality is still beneficial. After this, the net risk increases with every drink.”
“If someone binge drinks even once a month, any health benefits from light to moderate drinking disappear.” Binge drinking is defined more than four drinks on one occasion for women, and more than five for men.
