Moderate alcohol consumption for healthy adults generally means up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men. If you drink more than these amounts, doctors consider drinking too much or posing a risk. That means you're at greater risk of developing health problems. About 1 in 4 people who drink more than this amount have an alcohol use disorder.
It means that you drink too much, too often. In general, for men, this means having more than four drinks on any given day. For women, it means having three drinks in the same time period. These are just some of the conclusions of the recent international conference “Beer and Nutrition”, organized by the University of Copenhagen.
However, it's important to note that to achieve any of the possible positive side effects of drinking beer or alcohol, people must do so in a responsible manner. The same review article found that low to moderate beer consumption decreased the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. While drinking beer may have some positive health outcomes, this only seems relevant when people drink the beverage in light or moderate amounts. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans define moderate alcohol consumption as one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.
Although it seems that drinking beer has some benefit, it is not a drink that people should consume excessively. According to British professor Jonathan Powell, who researches the biochemical properties of minerals, the high concentration of silicon in beer helps prevent osteoporosis. However, excessive or excessive consumption of beer can cause conditions such as cancer, liver disease and cardiovascular disease. And while beer has certain health benefits, this doesn't mean that young people can go to the bar every weekend and have one pint after another.
That means that if you drink a beer with 10% alcohol, you're consuming two “standard drinks”, not one (since that's twice the amount of alcohol). Contrary to common opinion, beer has many health benefits that make it at least as healthy as wine when consumed in small quantities. The researchers in both studies defined low to moderate amounts as up to a 330-milliliter can of beer containing about 5% alcohol a day for women and up to two cans for men. Professor Ramon Etruch, from the University Hospital of Barcelona, argued that up to three beers a day could be beneficial to men's health.
Despite the fact that beer contains a variety of nutrients, people should not resort to beer because of its nutritional value. The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Administration (SAMHSA) considers that drinking five or more “standard beverages” at the same time for at least 1 day in the past 30 days constitutes excessive alcohol consumption.
