New study reveals what happens to your body with one alcoholic drink a day
Researchers suggest that one drink a week could lower your chances of a stroke
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A new study has revealed what actually happens to your body if you have one alcoholic drink a day.
The report has shed some light on the shocking reality of what effects having one boozy drink a day has on your insides.
And while it can increase your chances of 19 health conditions, it can also protect you from a few.
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According to a study by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD), these health risks associated with having a daily alcoholic drink include colon and esophageal cancers as well as liver cirrhosis.
However, a new study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), has concluded that, while drinking is linked to a higher risk of some cancers with moderate certainty, there is a lower risk of death.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Kevin Shield, who was involved in the study, said: “It’s important to note that our report found that no level of alcohol consumption is completely risk-free.
“The analysis results show that, among drinkers, the lower their alcohol consumption, the lower their risk of mortality.
“Conversely, as alcohol consumption increases, so does the risk of mortality. So when it comes to alcohol use, less is best for health.”
But while drinkers face an increased risk of cancers and heart diseases, it turns out there are some benefits to drinking - in moderation, of course.
According to the ICCPUD report, it was suggested low to moderate drinkers actually have a lower risk of having a stroke compared to non-drinkers.
This might sound baffling but it could be down to the fact that alcohol thins your blood, therefore reducing the chances of a blood clot traveling to the brain, which is what causes a stroke.
Researchers found that men and women who have one drink a week could have up to a 10% lower chance of having a stroke compared to people who don’t drink.
Those who have one drink a day could have an 8% lower chance of a stroke.
However, that is where the odds stop swinging in drinkers’ favors, because the study found that having two alcoholic drinks a day gives people an 8% higher risk of a stroke.
Talking to the Daily Mail, Dr Keith Humphreys, who is a researcher in alcohol harms and psychiatrist at Stanford, said: “In terms of size of effect, I would say alcohol doesn't have as much of an effect [as smoking or obesity].
“Obviously, if you drink 10 pints a day then that is one thing, but that is not what this is about, people agree that 10 pints a day is bad.”