CommonHealth: The Latest On Alcohol, From Moderate Drinking's Health Effects To Underused Treatments

For the last few years, medical research around alcohol has seemingly flip-flopped. Some past studies have suggested that a drink or so a day — especially red wine — could actually be good for our health. But a new, monumental study says the opposite.

The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet last week, found alcohol is associated with 2.8 million deaths per year worldwide, which includes around 88,000 Americans. It's being called the biggest study of alcohol yet, including data from nearly 200 countries over more than 30 years. It concludes that alcohol — even moderate drinking — cannot be considered good for health.

Meanwhile, the journal JAMA looks at treatments for alcohol use, including an editorial by Dr. Richard Saitz, the chair and professor of community health sciences at Boston University's School of Public Health.

Carey Goldberg, host of WBUR's CommonHealth blog, which tweets @commonhealth.