Population-level risks of alcohol consumption by amount, geography, age, sex, and year

The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) is a comprehensive regional and global research programme of disease burden that assesses mortality and disability from major diseases, injuries, and risk factors. GBD is a collaboration of over 3,600 researchers from 145 countries and is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In an analysis published in July, researchers estimate that 1.34 billion people consumed harmful amounts of alcohol (1.03 billion males and 0.312 billion females) in 2020.
The analysis suggests that for young adults ages 15–39, there are no health benefits to drinking alcohol, only health risks, with 59.1% of people who consumed unsafe amounts of alcohol in 2020 between ages 15 and 39 years and 76.7% male.
The authors note that given the complex relationship between alcohol and diseases and different background rates of diseases across the world, the risks of alcohol consumption differ by age and by geographic location.
For people over age 40, health risks from alcohol consumption vary by age and region. Consuming a small amount of alcohol (for example, drinking between one and two 3.4-ounce glasses of red wine) for people in this age group can provide some health benefits, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes.
The authors call for alcohol consumption guidelines to be revised to emphasize consumption levels by age, stressing that the level of alcohol consumption recommended by many existing guidelines is too high for young people in all regions. They also call for policies targeting males under age 40, who are most likely to use alcohol harmfully.
Source: Population-level risks of alcohol consumption by amount, geography, age, sex, and year: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020. GBD 202 Alcohol Collaborators, The Lancet, ISSN: 0140-6736, Vol: 400, Issue: 10347, Page: 185-235
The study provoked a number of responses. Matt Lambert, CEO of the Portman Group said: “The recommendation for variable guidance by age without context would be counterproductive, people will turn off from what they see is unrealistic and complex advice and stop engaging with moderate drinking messages.
“The recommendation that those under 40 should not drink at all is totally unrealistic – especially considering trends in the UK show that this age group is already drinking at lower and more moderate levels compared to older generations.
“It is interesting that the study backs up previous evidence of some health benefits of moderate drinking for people above 40, but we reiterate our view that people should not drink to improve their health.
The conclusions of the study were also questioned by Christopher Snowdon, writing in The Spectator spectator.co.uk/article/the-anti-drinking-lobby-s-twisted-logic and Harry Readhead in the independent. independent.co.uk/voices/alcohol-health-social-drinking-b2128169.html