According to a new global study published by the medical journal The Lancet, young people face higher health risks from alcohol consumption than older adults.
Findings of the report
The report says that young adults between 15-39 do not have any health benefits when consuming alcoholic drinks. The recommended amount of alcohol for people aged 15-39 before risking health loss was 0.136 standard drinks per day — a little more than one-tenth of a standard drink, according to the researchers. As for the age group above 40, it was advised that individuals having no underlying health complications could benefit from moderate drinking.
What are the safe consumption levels?
The safe alcohol consumption level for individuals aged 40-64 range is 0.527 drinks per day for males and 0.562 standard drinks per day for females to almost two standard drinks (1.69 standard drinks per day for males and 1.82 for females) as it reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes.
For individuals over 65 years in 2020, the risks of health loss from alcohol consumption were reached after consuming a little more than three standard drinks per day (3.19 drinks for males and 3.51 for females).
Reportedly, alcohol alone was the cause of over 1.78 million deaths in 2020. It was attributed to being the leading cause of mortality in the 15-49 age group. Therefore, the journal recommended that stronger interventions were required for this particular age demographic to reduce global health loss.
Basis of the study
The study was based on alcohol consumption data collated from 204 countries. Moreover, it was conducted on individuals, both males and females, aged between 15-95 years. They were segregated into five-year age groups. The research revealed that in the year 2020 alone,1.34 billion people consumed harmful amounts of alcohol.
