Alcohol and Health

Alcohol and Health: the most recent data confirms the cardioprotective effects of moderate alcohol. How do we reconcile the known harms and potential benefits of alcohol with the concept of wine and the Mediterranean Diet as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Laura Catena is a Harvard and Stanford trained physician who practiced Emergency Medicine in California for 25 years.
Dr. Catena contrasts the results of two key reports—one from NASEM (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine), which includes experts from top U.S. institutions and acknowledges the J-curve relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and reduced mortality, and another from ICCPUD (a U.S. committee tasked with the prevention of underage drinking), which has major methodological flaws.
Dr. Catena challenges the growing media narrative equating alcohol to tobacco, emphasizing that moderate wine consumption differs significantly from tobacco use because tobacco’s harms are much greater and start with the first cigarette (there is no J-curve for tobacco).
Through her initiative In Defense of Wine, Dr. Catena advocates for evidence-based discussions, highlighting that moderate drinking—especially with meals—can be part of a healthy lifestyle. She calls on the audience to counter misinformation and promote moderation.