ALCOHOL AND OVERALL HEALTH OUTCOMES

The evidence on alcohol and overall health outcomes other than death i s briefly reviewed. Four studies deal with hospital admissions, three with leaves of absence, one with visits to physicians and one with sub jective health status. Findings imply that moderate alcohol intake is good and heavy intake bad for health in general. Compared with abstain ing, the benefits of moderate drinking are small, but the damage cause d by heavy drinking is considerable. Some findings suggest that wine i s more beneficial than beer or spirits. However, the evidence is not c onclusive. More research is needed to clarify the optimal levels of in take, the effects of different patterns of drinking, and the possible differences between various types of beverages.