Drinking for Health: the daily light drinker fiction

Abstract

Summary There is a mistaken notion that some research supports the idea that taking a drink or two every day is good for health. Fifteen research reports were examined to ascertain exactly what questions were asked and what categories of drinkers were used in those studies. No daily light drinker categories were found. Some categories were averages from weekly or monthly estimates, some were ambiguous as to frequency and quantity. One was daily, with quantities between one and five drinks, and in that case there was no health risk advantage. It is concluded that the main health and mortality differences, when they do show up, are between drinkers and non‐drinkers. The causes for this require further investigation before any conclusions about recommended drinking can be drawn.