Here's to your health

• Autores: Helen Thomson
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3102, 2016, págs. 33-37
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • People raise a glass to celebrate, sip wine to unwind, knock back a few beers while catching up with friends. Alcohol plays a central role in socializing in many cultures, especially at this time of year. In December, consumption is 41% higher in the UK than during the other months. Yet the warm glow of a holiday tipple may be tempered by a growing awareness of alcohol's harms. Drinking can increase the risk of cancer, stroke and liver disease. It exacerbates the harms of smoking, can undermine the immune system, impair the judgment and make them more likely to have risky sex, injure themselves or hurt someone else. Each year, alcohol-related crime costs the UK a whopping L11 billion, and the country's National Health Service spends L3.5 billion treating alcohol-related medical issues. That's not to mention the L7.3 billion hangover in lost workdays. Here, Thomson distills the evidence for claims that a bit of alcohol can protect the heart, stave off dementia and be counteracted by a bout of exercise