Researchers slam 2019 study that said alcohol intake should be ‘zero’ (Additional Coverage)

Source: https://nypost.com/

By Hannah Sparks

October 6, 2021

Cheers to this new research.

The jury has long been out – and in, and out and in again – over whether any amount of alcohol is safe to drink.

And while many would freely admit their unabashed bias for the studies which favor the occasional imbiber, while ignoring contradictory findings, one group of UK researchers determined themselves to expose one inconvenient report in 2019.

Published then in the prestigious medical journal the Lancet, the study of 500,000 Chinese men and women attempted to put to rest any debate as to whether light to moderate drinking can be harmless or even healthful – finding that “alcohol consumption uniformly increases blood pressure and stroke risk.”

“Claims that wine and beer have magical protective effects [are] not borne out,” said senior author Richard Peto in a statement tied to the study.

Some prior studies seem to support the radical take, such as those which point to an increased risk of brain injury, heart disease, cancer and premature death.

However, authors of a new study, published late last month in the International Journal of Epidemiology have taken aim at the research they described as alarmist in the Times UK on Wednesday.