A glass of wine daily may increase the risk of early death, finds study

The research out of Washington University's School of Medicine suggests that daily intake of wine increases the risk of premature death by 20 per cent.

We heard a lot that drinking a glass of wine have several health benefits. But a new study suggests that drinking a daily glass of wine may not be so healthy. The research out of Washington University's School of Medicine suggests that daily intake of wine increases the risk of premature death by 20 per cent. The study has been published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

According to the Study Finds report, the researchers have analyzed data from more than 400,000 people ages 18 to 85. They found that consuming 4 or more drinks per week increases the early death risk compared to the one who drinks 3 times or less.

The first author Sarah M. Hartz, assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis reportedly said that it used to seem like having one or two drinks per day was no big deal, and there even have been some studies suggesting it can improve health. But now we know that even the lightest daily drinkers have an increased mortality risk.

She also said that although some earlier studies have linked light drinking to improvements in cardiovascular health, the new study shows that other risks outweigh those potential gains. Her team evaluated heart disease risk and cancer risk and found that although in some cases, drinking alcohol may reduce the risk of heart-related problems, daily drinking increased cancer risk and, as a result, mortality risk.

As per as Sarah M. Hartz, consuming one or two drinks about four days per week seemed to protect against cardiovascular disease, but drinking every day eliminated those benefits. With regard to cancer risk, and drinking at all was detrimental.

The new study comes on the heels of research published in the Lancet, which reviewed data from more than 700 studies around the world and concluded that the safest level of drinking is none. But that study looked at all types of drinking from light alcohol consumption to binge drinking. The new analysis focused on light drinkers: those who consumed only one or two drinks a day.