A major new global study published in The Lancet has found that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. The research looked at levels of alcohol use and its health effects across 195 countries between 1990 and 2016. It found that even an occasional drink can prove harmful and its authors say that governments should recommend people abstain entirely from alcohol consumption. Consuming alcohol caused 2.8 million deaths in 2016 and it was the leading risk factor for premature mortality and disability among people aged 15 to 49.
Even though moderate drinking has been associated with limited health benefits for years, with a daily glass of red wine seen as being good for the heart, the new research claims that the harmful impact far outweighs any benefits. The following infographic shows the top-10 countries in terms of overall deaths attributable to alcohol and specifically, it highlights the massive gender gap in mortality. In the United States, for example, 71,000 male deaths and 19,000 female deaths were attributable to alcohol in 2016.
*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)
