By L.A. Williams
Christian Action League
July 20, 2022
Young people and alcohol do not mix, according to a global study released July 14 in the Lancet. The research, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, found no health benefits and plenty of health risks from alcohol consumption in people under age 39.
Part of the wider Global Burden of Disease study, the research involved alcohol estimates from 204 countries and territories where an estimated 1.34 billion people drank harmful amounts of alcohol in 2020. Most of those ingesting unsafe amounts were males ages 15 to 39.
Researchers said that for this age group, the recommended amount of alcohol that could be consumed before risking their health was around two teaspoons of red wine or two and a half tablespoons of beer.
“Our message is simple: Young people should not drink …” Dr. Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said in a news release. The research did show that people over the age of 40 with no underlying health problems could potentially decrease their risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes by drinking a small amount of alcohol (one to two 3.4-ounce glasses of red wine) each day.
“Even if a conservative approach is taken and the lowest level of safe consumption is used to set policy recommendations, this implies that the recommended level of alcohol consumption is still too high for younger populations,” Dana Bryazka, the study’s lead author, told the media.
The study results indicate that recommendations regarding alcohol consumption should be based on age and location, with the tightest restrictions on males ages 15 to 39.
Although shocking to some, the study is not the first to reveal the wisdom of avoiding alcohol or the need to revisit current “low-risk” drinking guidelines. An Oxford University study released in 2021 found “no safe dose of alcohol” when it comes to brain health. Also, an Irish study published in May revealed that alcohol may pose greater risks to the heart than previously believed, with one researcher urging drinkers to limit their weekly consumption to less than a bottle of wine or three and a half cans of beer.
“It’s not surprising to believers of the Bible when scientific studies bear out its wisdom,” said the Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League. “Proverbs 20:1, ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise,’ was written about 900 years before Christ.”
“No one, especially young people, should be deceived into believing that alcohol is going to benefit their health,” he added.