Their conclusion differs from the current U.S. dietary guidelines.

Americans should limit their alcohol consumption to no more than one drink per day, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

The recommendation — from an international team of scientists — differs from the U.S. dietary guidelines, both past and present. Previous guidelines recommended a daily limit of two alcoholic drinks for men and one for women. The latest version, released by the Trump administration in January, is less precise. It recommends only that Americans “consume less alcohol for better overall health.”

The current less-is-best message is accurate but too vague, said study co-author Priscilla Martinez-Matyszczyk, deputy scientific director of the Alcohol Research Group at the Public Health Institute, an independent nonprofit organization in California. People need quantified guidance so they can make informed decisions about their drinking, she said.

  • obvs@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Setting the goal of having the longest lifespan does not guarantee having the life most worth living.

    • tmyakal@infosec.pub
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      1 month ago

      Alcohol is a known carcinogen. It’s estimated that 5% of US cancer diagnoses are alcohol-related. Having cancer does not make for a life worth living.

      • Nastybutler@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        That means there’s a 95% chance your cancer comes from something else. Yes cancer sucks, but it almost feels inevitable, so why deny myself a coping mechanism for gestures wildly

      • obvs@lemmy.world
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        27 days ago

        As someone who was stone-cold sober for the first 30-some years of their life, rawdogging life doesn’t always make for a life worth living, either.

        I don’t drink regularly now. I’m not against it, but I drink less than one alcoholic drink per year on average. There was a time where I used to drink about two drinks per week, but never more than three within a week.

        On the other hand, I do eat THC edibles regularly(again, about 2-3 times per week), and I can state VERY strongly that I am doing a lot better having that. It gives me the ability to not focus on bad things constantly.

        I came to a conclusion a while back that I would rather have a shorter life full of enjoyable things rather than the longest life I could possibly have. I’m not saying that I would smoke or do hard drugs or anything like that, but I absolutely go out and do things like skydiving. If I die from one of those things, so be it, but I will have lived my life by filling it with as many reasons to live as possible.

    • flandish@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      oh come now. living longer is a boon to capitalists because more labor can be extracted. won’t someone please think of the bourgeoisie?

    • RBWells@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Absolutely true, but feeling good for a higher proportion of your years is much more likely if you act like you want a longer life. Most longevity stuff is geared more towards “healthspan” than lifespan.

      Having said that - moderation is what I practice. I don’t overeat or drink too much but do not eat a tightly controlled diet either, eat healthy food mostly but not exclusively. Work out but not excessively.