14 DAY TRIAL // Danish researchers from the Bispebjerg Hospital (BH) presented a new study yesterday, September 25, which appeared to suggest that consuming alcohol in moderate amounts reduces the risk a person has of developing asthma.
These results were presented on Sunday at the annual congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS), which was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Experts in charge of the presentation told the audience that the effect was discernible for alcohol consumption between 1-6 units weekly.
As a unit of volume, an alcohol unit can have different values in different countries. For example, the United Kingdom has legislation that establishes the unit at 10 milliliters, whereas Australia considers such a unit to be about 10 grams, or 12.7 milliliters.
For their study, the Danish scientists surveyed participants aged 12 to 41, all of them twins. A total of 19,349 individuals were analyzed, and all of them completed questionnaires about their alcohol intake at the beginning and end of their study.
Their risk for developing asthma was monitored for a period of time spanning 8 years. By the time the study concluded, less than 4 percent of people who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol had developed asthma. The disease had its lowest incidence in this group.
Risks for asthma development were highest in people who never drank alcohol, and in heavy drinkers, who were 1.2 times more likely to develop the condition. Primarily, the people who were surveyed reported consuming beer, Science Blog reports.
“Whilst excessive alcohol intake can cause health problems, the findings of our study suggest that a moderate intake of 1-6 units can reduce the risk of developing asthma,” BH investigator and study team member Sofie Lieberoth explains.
“By examining all the factors linked with the development of asthma, we can understand more about what causes the condition and how to prevent it,” the investigator goes on to say.
Some of the most commonly-encountered risk factors for asthma include pollution, exhaust fumes, viral respiratory infections, smoking, high ozone levels, psychological stress and many others.