The controversy is launched between anti-alcohol associations and a former expert of the World Health Organization (WHO), Kari Poikolainen. The latter states, after reviewing all the studies published over the past ten years on the effects of the alcohol, that a consumption of thirteen glasses per day would be beneficial for our body compared to a “zero alcohol” logic.
The doctor considers that thirteen glasses, that is to say the contents of a bottle of wine, equivalent to a consumption “moderate”. Finally, according to him, people who exceed the alcohol limit recommended by the WHO (21 drinks per week for a man and 14 for a woman) could live longer than non-drinkers.
These statements prompted a reaction from the anti-alcohol lobbies, which were quick to publish the latest studies on the harmful effects of alcohol on the Internet. Julia Manning, of 2020 Health, believes that Kari Poikolainen makes “a negative contribution to the debate” and that he “makes statements that are not verifiable”. “Alcohol is toxic, the risks outweigh the benefits, ”she concludes on the Daily Mail. The expert moderates his remarks by adding that “drinking too much is worse than abstaining”.
