Several people toast on a terrace. Archive image. Miguel Villar
Spain establishes recommendations similar to those of other territories of the European Union, although there is no common framework
Oct 23, 2024 . Updated at 05:00 a.m.
The debate about whether a glass of wine a day can help your health is settled on a medical level. The answer is negative. Different experts consulted by La Voz de la Salud have repeated, time after time, that the safe amount of alcohol is zero. In a sip, in a glass or in a binge, the poison is the same: «Alcohol is toxic for the body and we have known it for decades. Its supposed benefits are not supported by scientific evidence. “You cannot compare the antioxidants of a glass of wine with those of an apple, for example, which has hundreds of them and is recommended,” the doctor concluded in this interview. Jose Valenciamember of the Alcohol Working Group of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology and professor of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Seville.
Traditionally, the opposite had been thought. Some studies had found that moderate drinkers had a longer life expectancy and a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases compared to abstainers. However, his approach was incorrect. Groups of moderate drinkers were compared with groups of abstainers and occasional drinkers. However, this last group included older adults who had drunk in the past (and alcohol is known to have long-term effects) and, in short, people who had reduced their intake due to a series of health problems. health or diseases. Thus, it is not surprising that the moderate drinker could appear healthier.
Moderate consumption of alcohol—or anything in general—is a term that always leads to doubts. It is difficult to find an exact description issued by a health organization – it was more common to talk about safe consumption and not “moderate” consumption. However, the Nutrimedia project, from the Pompeu Fabra University, remembers that consumption is considered moderate if it does not exceed five grams of pure alcohol per day, or in other words, a half a pint of beer or half a glass of wine. Reality, however, confirms that few leave the glass halfway.
Although the total amount of alcohol consumed per inhabitant in Spain has been reduced in recent years, Dr. Valencia does not value this as something positive: “We must not lose sight of the fact that we continue to be one of the countries in Europe where per capita consumption per capita is higher and, at the same time, Europe is the region of the world in which alcohol consumption is highest. We are world leaders in consumption, so we have not overcome the problem.
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The expert highlights that although, at a national level, alcohol is consumed fewer days a week than before, it is now consumed more intensively, especially among young people. “We have incorporated the typical pattern of Anglo-Saxon and northern European countries, where the majority of the population that consumes alcohol does so seeking psychoactive effects, for which large quantities are needed,” he points out. A pattern that is not only present in adolescents—despite the purchase of alcohol being illegal at these ages—but also in those under 30 years of age.
Despite the fame that has been given to moderate consumption, medical guides have preferred to talk about safe consumption. A term that has recently been replaced by low-risk consumption. The Ministry of Health accepted such a change of nuance because “there is no safe consumption of alcohol,” it indicates in a document. The only safe intake is zero. What’s more, the portfolio reminds that, based on current scientific evidence, “no health professional or institution should recommend its consumption to improve health.”
So, what does it mean for something to be low risk? That from 20 grams per day in men, and ten grams per day in women, leads to greater mortality and health problems compared to not drinking or drinking at a lower level. «What we are saying is that after those two beers in men and one in women, the risk increases. “We really push the idea that there is no harmless use,” the researcher recalled. Luis Sordoprofessor in the Department of Public Health at the Complutense University of Madrid and member of the alcohol group of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE), in this report. Of course, the more the quantity, the worse.
In Spain, it is estimated that around 15,000 people die each year as a result of its consumption. The study Mortality attributable to alcohol consumption in Spain indicates that, both due to the direct consequences in the short term (traffic accidents) and those attributable to the medium and long term (its relationship with liver cirrhosis or various types of cancer), alcohol consumption increases the general mortality of Spanish by 4%. The effect of this toxin occurs at all levels: neurological, cardiovascular, digestive, metabolic, cancerous, infectious, endocrine and perinatal.
In 2019, the World Health Organization celebrated that from 2010 to 2019, the number of deaths attributable to consumption per 100,000 people had decreased by 20.2% worldwide. Furthermore, he highlights that there has been a steady increase in countries formulating national policies on beverages: “Virtually all countries impose excise taxes on alcohol. However, countries point out the continued interference of the alcoholic beverages industry in policy formulation,” the entity indicated.
Dr. Valencia also offered a perspective on this problem: «What happens is that alcoholic beverages have been integrated into our culture for millennia. They are associated with interactions with others that make alcohol inseparable from a sports celebration or a patron saint’s day. In addition, it generates very important economic activity,” he responded. For example, Spain is the second largest producer of beer in the European Union, the third largest exporter of wine and the fourth largest exporter of spirits. Furthermore, the restaurant sector accounts for 3.9% of the gross added value (GVA) of the total Spanish economy, and is considered a key branch, as it constitutes 7% of the business fabric. All of this data proves, for the expert epidemiologist, that the country is not yet in a phase “in a phase in which we can implement many of the plans that have been on the table to eliminate alcohol consumption.”
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Low-risk consumption is not the same in Spain as in Denmark
Although the idea that alcohol consumption is harmful has permeated a vast majority of countries, there are still discrepancies, between territories, regarding what some consider low-risk consumption, what amount they take as a reference measure. to establish it and the recommendations they give.
In Spain, for example, one standard beverage unit is equal to ten grams of pure ethanol. This measurement is a practical way to know the amount of this toxic consumed. Thus, a standard drink unit is equivalent to a small beer of 250 milliliters, half a glass of wine, that is, about 125 milliliters; or half a mixed drink. For men, low-risk consumption is limited to 20 grams per day; and in women, in ten. Greece reduces its standard drink to eight grams, and says men can drink up to two glasses of wine a day; and the women, one. Italy raises its recommendation to 12 grams of pure ethanol per day, although in practice, the recommendation is similar: up to two units per day for men; and one for women. Belgium speaks of a weekly limit: in the male population, up to 21 drinks per week are considered low risk; while in women, it is reduced to 14.
Other territories such as Germany draw attention, which in addition to advising to limit intake to two units per day for men and one for women; He also recommends leaving two days without alcohol per week. The Czech Republic establishes the same, although in its case, the daily amount to consider low-risk consumption is higher: up to 24 grams per day in men, and 16 grams in women. Denmark gives the same weekly recommendation for men and women: a maximum of ten drinks a week, and no more than four in a single day. Looking at neighboring countries, France indicates that you should drink no more than ten standard drinks per week (ten grams each), never more than two a day and at least go one day without alcohol. Portugal is more lax in its recommendation: up to 24 grams of alcohol per day for men and up to 16 for women.