Letter: Too soon to drink to the health of the nation
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.KATHRYN McWhirter's health feature 'A glass of what you fancy' (Review, 27 February) is at best misguided and may even be considered irresponsible. Certainly any suggestion that alcohol may provide protection from heart disease is highly attractive, but the data from studies comparing mortality in drinkers and non-drinkers must be interpreted with great caution.
The studies fail to provide adequate information about what proportion of abstainers were lifelong teetotallers, infrequent drinkers or indeed reformed alcoholics.
Researchers have established that among middle-aged men in the United Kingdom, those who do not drink include a large proportion who have given up drinking because of ill- health or to comply with long- term medication. This may well be the subgroup of the population comprising the downslope of the much fanfared epidemiological J-shaped graph of mortality against alcohol intake.
It is also worth noting that light drinkers are more likely to be higher social class non- smokers who exercise and watch their weight. Not surprising then that these are the same people with lower cardiovascular mortality.
Without fully defining populations and covariabilities there can be no justification for claims that not drinking is harmful or that moderate alcohol intake is protective. To suggest otherwise is fanciful.
Dr Waseem Qasim
Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments