It’s true that moderate drinking can offer substantial health benefits across all age brackets, the most striking of which is a finding by Harvard’s School of Public Health that alcohol can protect against heart disease. But giving undue attention to the benefits masks alcohol’s many pitfalls, says Bob Wright, who’s spent 30 years as director of education at Hilton Head Health, a health and weight-loss facility in the coastal South Carolina resort town.
“If you drink and meet the definition of moderate, it might be nice to know that you’re shielding yourself against some things,” Wright says. “But there are no public health guidelines that say you should start drinking.” Short version: If you’re looking to shield yourself against heart disease, start with exercise and diet, not merlot.
The CDC’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans identify “moderate” alcohol intake as one drink a day for women and two for men, with “one drink” being:
12 ounces of beer
5 ounces of wine
1 1/2 ounces (roughly a shot) of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor
And when they say “per day” they mean it — you can’t have seven drinks on a Tuesday and call it moderate intake. Also, the rules change when you hit 65: “Moderate” intake after that age is one drink per day for everybody. (Sorry.)
Most importantly, remember that everyone has individualized benefits, risks, genes, behaviors, and backgrounds that can influence how alcohol affects them, and you should talk to your doctor about yours. Actually, he or she may start the conversation for you: The CDC in early January began urging physicians to become more aggressive about talking to their patients about drinking. (The Affordable Care Act requires new plans to cover alcohol screening and brief counseling without a co-pay.)