New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council state a recent Lancet Study on Global Burden of Disease Study releasing apparently sobering reading for the 80 percent of Kiwis who enjoy a drink needs to be considered in context. “This study fulfils the agenda of the international anti-alcohol lobby who fund it,” said executive director, Nick Leggett
Despite thousands of years of history and 50 years of research demonstrating that moderate use of alcohol can be enjoyed, the findings in the report suggested there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. This statement “will be an anathema to most New Zealanders, who drink alcohol responsibly and enjoy it with no ill effects.”
The Lancet study does not offer any new scientific findings; instead, it supports earlier studies on alcohol as a risk factor for global burden of disease, and that mortality – relating in particular to cancers – increases with increased consumption. However, the New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council acknowledge that “ike everything we do in life, there are risks associated with a drink and that anti-alcohol lobbyists will utilise the claims in this study as ammunition to assault public and political mind-sets. Above all else, this report does not change the state of science on alcohol and health.
“Most people understand these risks and accept them. We would liken moderate alcohol use to about the same level of risk as driving a car. The risk will come as no surprise, and we choose to take them every day for convenience and pleasure.”
Meta-analyses showing the protective effects of moderate drinking on all-cause mortality, diabetes, and heart disease from previous studies are still valid and offer stronger evidence than this global modelling estimate.
As they say, “one swallow doesn’t make a summer”.
