A bottle of wine a day is not bad for you, claims scientist

A leading alcohol expert has claimed that drinking a bottle of wine a day is not bad for you - and abstaining is worse than drinking.
A bottle of wine a day is not bad for you - according to a leading health expert.A bottle of wine a day is not bad for you - according to a leading health expert.
A bottle of wine a day is not bad for you - according to a leading health expert.

The recommended daily allowance for alcohol consumption in Britain is a medium to large glass of wine - but leading scientist, former World Health Organisation alcohol expert Dr Kari Poikolainen, says drinking just over a bottle a day would do no harm to your health.

He has analysed decades of research into the effects of alcohol on the human body, The Daily Mail reportsHis conclusion - drinking is only harmful when you consume more than 13 units a day - that’s four to five pints of beer or more than a bottle of wine - which typically contains around 10 units.

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He also believes that drinking more than the current recommended daily intake may in fact be healthier than being a teetotaler.

“The weight of the evidence shows moderate drinking is better than abstaining and heavy drinking is worse than abstaining – however the moderate amounts can be higher than the guidelines say,” Dr Poikolainen reportedly told The Mail.

Responding to the comments, Julia Manning from think-tank 2020Health, told the newspaper: “This is an unhelpful contribution to the debate. It makes grand claims which we don’t see evidence for. Alcohol is a toxin, the risks outweigh the benefits."