HINKING DRINKING

It turns out that what we thought we knew about the health benefits of a daily tipple might have come from skunked science. Here's a fresh look, without the beer goggles.

- KAYLA BLANTON

After a long day of meetings that could have been emails, you open a bottle of merlot, knowing it’s a fine decision: Not only will that glass of wine take the edge off any stress, but it’s good for your heart too, just like leafy greens and whole grains, right?

Alas, no. It sounded too good to be true, and now it looks as if it was: After decades of hearing that drinking in moderation wasn’t harmful—and that it might in fact even offer a health boost—scientists are discovering that this thinking relied on a potent cocktail of questionable research, headline-happy media coverage, and wishful thinking.

In fact, last year the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that no amount of any alcohol was good for people—not even those “heart-healthy” red wines. This news came just as we were emerging from COVID, with the accompanying increase in drinking: In 2020 and 2021, alcohol use increased more than during any other two-year period since the late 1960s, and the country experienced a surge in alcohol- related illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths, says George F. Koob, Ph.D., director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

YOUR BODY ON ALCOHOL

It’s hardly news that large amounts of alcohol can wreak havoc on the body. Alcohol is ethanol, a nervous system depressant, and after you drink, every major organ in your body is exposed to it—particularly the liver, which does the heavy lifting of detoxifying the blood. Research has also shown that alcohol is a carcinogen that increases the risk of breast, esophageal, colorectal, and liver cancers. “Long-term drinking heightens the risk of heart attack, stroke, and weakened heart muscles as well as cirrhosis of the liver and fatty liver disease,” says Leonard Pianko, M.D., a cardiologist at Aventura Cardio vascular Center in Florida.