(NewsNation) — A new study claims there may be health benefits related to light to moderate alcohol consumption.
The findings, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, state that alcohol in moderation may lower the risk of stress-related cardiovascular disease.
Experts at the Massachusetts General Hospital warn that the benefits found in the study don’t mean we should ignore the known dangers of alcohol.
“We are not advocating the use of alcohol to reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes because of other concerning effects of alcohol on health,” senior author and cardiologist Ahmed Tawakol said in a report published by the Harvard Gazette. “We wanted to understand how light to moderate drinking reduces cardiovascular disease, as demonstrated by multiple other studies.
“And if we could find the mechanism, the goal would be to find other approaches that could replicate or induce alcohol’s protective cardiac effects without the adverse impacts of alcohol.”
It’s important to note that the short and long-term effects of alcohol can be devastating.
Impairment starts with the first drink, and so does the toxic effects of alcohol on the brain and the body, according to Dr. Adam Scioli, the medical director at Caron Treatment Centers.
The World Health Organization published a statement in The Lancet that no amount of alcohol is technically safe.