While most people believe that an occasional drink won’t do them any harm, there are actually a number of ramifications for mental and physical health that can come out of any amount of alcohol consumption. A recent, extensive study of alcohol consumption has confirmed that there is no safe level of alcohol for brain health.
大多数人认为偶尔饮酒不会对他们造成任何伤害，然而事实上，无论饮酒量多少，都会对人的心理和身体健康产生一定不良影响。最近，一项关于饮酒的广泛研究表明，对于大脑健康来说，饮酒量没有“安全标准”。
Effects on the Brain’s Gray Matter
饮酒对大脑灰质的影响
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford that involved over 25,000 individuals concluded that there is no safe dose of alcohol for the brain. Scans of the study participants revealed that their drinking, regardless of the amount they consumed, had a negative effect on their brain’s gray matter.
牛津大学的研究人员对超过2.5万人进行了研究后发现，饮酒没有“安全剂量”，只要喝酒就会对大脑产生影响。对研究对象的扫描结果显示，饮酒无论多少都会对大脑的灰质产生消极影响。
Negatively Associated with Brain Health
饮酒与大脑健康呈现负相关
The researchers stated that the consumption of alcohol was “linearly and negatively associated with indices of brain health across most of the brain.” Even moderate consumption was associated with adverse effects on the brain, and those who binge drink may be more susceptible to alcohol’s effects.
研究人员表示，饮酒“与大脑大部分区域的大脑健康指数呈线性负相关”。即使是适度的饮酒也会对大脑产生不利影响，而酗酒者可能更容易受到酒精的影响。
The researchers advised that the current “low risk” drinking guidelines should be revisited. Adverse effects of alcohol on the brain were no different in study participants who consumed wine, beer, or liquor, indicating that the type of alcohol was not a factor in the negative impact on brain health.
研究人员建议，应该重新审视目前“低风险”的饮酒准则。酒精对大脑的不利影响在饮用葡萄酒、啤酒或白酒的研究对象中没有任何区别，这表明酒的类型不是改变酒精对大脑健康产生负面影响的因素。
Individuals at Higher Risk
高风险人群
Although all study participants who consumed alcohol in any amount were found to have impacted brain health, certain individuals were at higher risk. Those with characteristics such as obesity, high blood pressure, or binge drinking were more affected. Tony Rao, a visiting clinical fellow in Old Age Psychiatry at King’s College London, stated that “Even at levels of low-risk drinking, there is evidence that alcohol consumption plays a larger role in damage to the brain than previously thought. The (Oxford) study found that this role was greater than many other modifiable risk factors, such as smoking.”
尽管不同饮酒量的研究对象都表明饮酒会影响大脑健康，但某些特定人群的风险更高。肥胖、患有高血压或酗酒的人受到的影响更大。英国伦敦国王学院老年精神病学客座临床研究员托尼·拉奥说：“即使是在低风险的饮酒水平下，有证据表明，饮酒对大脑的损害所起的作用比以前想象的要大。牛津大学的研究发现，这种作用比许多其他可改变的风险因素（如吸烟）更大。”
Previous Study
先前的研究
This most recent research study confirms the findings of a previous study that also determined that no amount of wine, beer, or liquor is safe for overall health. In an analysis of 2016 global alcohol consumption and disease risk, published in The Lancet in 2018, researchers also found that even small amounts of alcohol affected the physical and mental health of the individuals who consumed it.
这项最新的研究证实了之前的研究结果，即不论是葡萄酒、啤酒或白酒，只要喝酒就会对人的整体健康造成影响。2018年发表在《柳叶刀》上的一项研究分析了2016年全球酒精消费和疾病风险，研究人员还发现，即使是少量的酒精也会影响饮酒者的身体和精神健康。
In the 2018 study, it was reported that alcohol was the leading risk factor for disease and premature death worldwide in women and men between 15 and 49. Alcohol accounted for almost one in 10 deaths, the report stated. Alcohol-related deaths included cardiovascular diseases and cancer, as well as infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, intentional injury related to alcohol consumption including self-harm and violence, and unintentional injuries resulting from alcohol consumption, including fires and drowning.
2018年的这项研究指出，酒精是导致全球范围内15岁到49岁男女患病和早逝的第一大风险因素，近十分之一的人因此丧命。与酒精有关的死亡包括心血管疾病、癌症、传染病（如肺结核）、与饮酒有关的故意伤害（包括自残和暴力），以及饮酒导致的意外伤害（包括火灾和溺水）。
That study’s senior author Emmanueal Gakidou, a professor at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said, “The most surprising finding was that even small amounts of alcohol use contribute to health loss globally. We’re used to hearing that a drink or two a day is fine. But the best way to keep healthy is never to touch a drop.”
该研究的资深作者、美国华盛顿大学健康指标与评估研究所的教授伊曼纽尔·贾基杜说：“最令人惊讶的发现是，即使是少量的饮酒也会在全球范围内造成健康损失。我们习惯于认为每天喝一两杯有好处，而对身体最好的做法是——滴酒不沾。”
