title: Balancing the risks and benefits of moderate drinking.
abstract: The risks of excessive alcohol intake are well known, and heavy drinkers should decrease their intake or stop drinking. On the other hand, in comparison with non-drinkers, moderate drinkers are at much lower risk of cardiovascular disease and certain other diseases and have lower total mortality. Thus, middle-aged or older men and post-menopausal women with no contraindications to alcohol use should be informed that they have, on average, net health benefits from the regular consumption of small-to-moderate amounts of alcohol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA. Ellison@bu.edu
authors.forename: R Curtis
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ellison
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D009026:Mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D014920:Wine