Is Alcohol Bad for You?

One question that I hardly ever get asked is if I think alcohol is bad for humans to consume. I don't think people really want to know, or they have made up their mind already. Several studies have concluded over the past few years that a couple of drinks a day seems to be good for us, especially if the drink is red wine (due in part to the presence of resveritrol). Also, beer has seen some recent studies show it's health benefits. However, a very recently released study has concluded that no amount of alcohol consumption is good for us. This is from a global meta-analysis, meaning it looked at a whole set of other studies to reach its conclusion. From a western medicine perspective alcohol is a hepatotoxin. meaning it is toxic to the liver. This might not be a huge deal in moderation, but because of all the toxicity in our modern it might be best to be good to your liver. From a Chinese medicine perspective alcohol is damp and hot, and many of us will not benefit from adding more of this to our body. But I found a paragraph from an Atlantic article about this study that I think makes some sense and I will conclude with this: ​Even taken at the global scale, the harm associated with a single daily serving of alcohol was tiny—almost zero. So not everyone need worry. It’s difficult to think of anything in life that’s without risk, especially recreational activities. The risk of riding in a car to a bar is risky, as is going out into the world in any form. A sedentary, isolated life at home is also risky. The health benefit of any change in lifestyle can only be measured by comparison.