నైరూప్య

Moderate drinking and health

Marilena Petrakou

Alcohol consumption is an important nutritional subject. There are many researches about the type of consumption which is the best for our health. People who drink moderately (1-2 drinks/day for women and 2-3 drinks/day for men) could be healthier than abstainers or heavy drinkers. The pattern of moderate drinking consists of type of drink, quantity and frequency of drinking and the status of the drinker (health profile, type of diet, other diseases, gender). Except for the pattern of moderate drinking, it is important to keep in mind the meaning of standard drinks, because they represent the serving size. The serving size of standard drink differs from country to country and it depends on grams of ethanol of each drink. According to these factors, moderate drinking benefits the health of heart and brain, but also it seems that alcohol influences the risk of obesity, the well-being and many other. Moderate drinking affects overall health through possible mechanisms, such as insulin sensitivity, levels of HDL (high density cholesterol) and LDL (low density cholesterol) and antioxidants' intake. As for now, the body of evidence has not formed the same opinion, because of the confused factors of health and the different type of researches. In conclusion, the most researches support the moderate drinking as the best drinking pattern, only if there is limit and responsibility in consumption, contributing to healthy nutrition and health.