The debate over alcohol and health has been going on for generations and does not seem to be nearing a conclusion any time soon. Obviously the drinkers will say that it is good for health while the abstainers will find facts to support the oppostie. Without leaning either way this article seeks to give facts both good and bad about alcohol consumption and will allow the reader to make an informed choice on what he wants to do.

Good things about alcohol consumption:

-Harvard researchers have found that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol every day have a lower risk of getting cardio-vascular diseases than either total abstainers or heavy drinkers. The graph is like a U shape with the Y axis showing the risk of heart problems and the X axis showing drinking habits.

-A follow up study of over 44,000 people showed that moderate consumption of alcohol resulted in a 37% reduction in coronary diseases.

-A study of 353 male heart attack survivors has showed that there is a 59% less likelihood of a second attack for moderate drinkers when compared to non drinkers.

-Alcohol consumers are also the lowest risk factor when it comes to hypertension, common cold, metabolic syndrome and many other problems.

But you must remember this, this only applies to those who drink in moderation. Moderation means drinking 5 - 15 gms of alcohol per day. This translates to one twelve ounce bottle of beer or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. If you consume more alcohol than this level you risk the chance of incurring heart disease. The best way is to have one to two small drinks roughly around 20 times a month was the best. Saving this up and drinking it in one shot is not a good idea.

Bad things about alcohol consumption.

-The most well known problem is of course cirrhosis of the liver where the liver gets damaged beyond repair and starts to fail.

-In one study of 320,000 women it was found that regular alcohol consumption increased the chances of getting breast cancer by 41%

-Alcohol consumption impairs judgment and more than 16,000 people die each year when driving under the influence of alcohol.

-Regular consumption of alcohol results in brain damage and studies have showed that consumption of alcohol during teenage can be linked to lower memory recall functions in people.

Obviously there are much more unhealthy things that can happen to you when you consume alcohol. As one Harvard researcher said, alcohol can either be a tonic or a poison depending on the quantities taken in.