Manuel Mangani, manager of Aġenzija Sedqa, has highlighted an important misconception – one which can be influential to the health of many and is therefore of concern to the health of the public in Malta (‘The less, the better’, November 16).

Successive surveys in Malta have demonstrated that drinking alcohol is a frequent habit among many Maltese, including our younger teens. Most people arguably drink to alleviate stress, remove inhibitions and forget their worries. Some may claim to turn to alcohol ‘to feel happy’ and this is what you feel if you remove stress and forget life... Modern life is ever busier and faster.

There is also a well-known trend, especially (but not only) among the young, to binge at weekends, with alcohol units often exceeding all limits on a Saturday night.

From the health side, we have backed our alcohol habits for too long with an argument that a little alcohol is good for us, particularly for our hearts. This notion was based on some studies indicating that a low-to-moderate consumption of alcohol is overall beneficial to health.

What the popular media has failed to pick up is that in many of these studies, the same authors acknowledge the presence of certain limitations in their research which stops them from recommending low-to-moderate alcohol consumption as a way to reduce the risk of heart disease.

In effect, there are many possible explanations for the initial finding of less heart disease among mild drinkers as compared to teetotallers, including that people who abstain from alcohol completely are more likely to have other risk factors for getting heart disease since these tend to be older, in worse health, less educated and poorer.

This means that the observed difference might have been due to the fact that people who consumed alcohol in moderation had a lower risk to begin with, and not that the alcohol lowered their risk.

Supporting the common misconception about the overall ‘benefit’ of alcohol, a study in 2008 had concluded that a good number of people “cite health benefits as a motivation for drinking alcohol and described a willingness to drink alcohol regularly if so recommended by a physician. Conversely, few had been able to recognise any health risks from drinking alcohol”.

This is, in the long term, a dangerous and ill-guided perception, since it can lead to an increase in the total volume of alcohol consumption when measured on a population basis.

Within public health, we are painfully aware of the impact of alcohol: it causes 6.5 per cent of all deaths in Europe and is the third largest risk factor (after tobacco smoking and high blood pressure) for lost quality of life – measured as disability free life years or DALYs in Europe.

It seems prudent not to portray alcohol as beneficial to health, even if taken in moderation

Recent studies which measured the association between alcohol consumption and disease have confirmed previous findings that alcohol is linked to an increase in deaths from eight different cancers with a dose-response relationship, i.e. the risk increases with the volume consumed throughout one’s life.

In addition to cancer, alcohol consumption has also been linked to an increase in blood pressure, strokes and is known to cause numerous and even fatal liver diseases. It is also associated with many serious social and developmental issues, including violence, child neglect and abuse, and absenteeism in the workplace

The World Health Organisation points out to us that 320,000 young people between the age of 15 and 29 die from alcohol-related causes each year, resulting in nine per cent of all deaths in that age group.

A scientific paper published last year had concluded that one cannot recommend moderate consumption of alcohol as a strategy to promote better health in view of insufficient proof. Hence, it seems prudent not to portray alcohol as beneficial to health, even if taken in moderation, especially when considering the associated ills of drinking.

Mangani’s advice is strongly recommended, particularly at this time of the year when the effects of alcohol on our roads have often left indelible marks on the lives of too many.

Julian Mamo and Sascha Reiff are members of the Department of Public Health, University of Malta.