The confusing guidance about alcohol, simplified.

People have known for centuries that drinking too much alcohol is bad for you. The short-term physical effects on cognition and motor function speak for themselves. The longer-term physical consequences of abusing alcohol — liver damage, jaundice, and cancer — have long been impossible to ignore.

So why, in that case, has there been a widespread belief, even among many physicians, that moderate drinking might actually be good for you?

We can thank the so-called French paradox for this. In the early 1990s, French scientist Serge Renaud concluded that the French had low rates of cardiovascular disease despite their affinity for fatty foods like beef and cheese because they otherwise adhere to a healthy Mediterranean diet — and because they consumed “moderate” amounts of red wine. Scientists have theorized that the antioxidants in red wine could play a role in reducing cholesterol (#912103), for example.

...read more at vox.com