Biochemical data and Mendelian randomization suggest alcohol is toxic at any dose with a monotonically increasing function of harm, yet epidemiology favors modest drinking over abstinence, possibly due to the Mediterranean drinking pattern involving food, wine, and people.

“why is it that at a bio chemical level uh and and certainly looking at the melian randomizations alcohol is toxic at any dose and it's a monotonically increasing function so there's no amount of alcohol that is healthy um yet the epidemiology is pretty significantly in favor of modest drinking over abstinence and once you even strip out all of the obvious confounders that would lead to that you're left with the phenomenon you describe which is it's if you dig into the data really deeply it's the Mediterranean drinking pattern that seems to be associated with some benefits at low doses people in memory right and it's it's it's the food and the wine and the people combo that seems to be beneficial not the vodka and Red Bull in the dorm issue exactly right”