Episode description

If you’re a light or moderate drinker, the World Health Organization wants you to know that no level of alcohol is safe for your health.

But just how big is that risk and might it be one you’re willing to take? And what happened to the idea that a glass of red wine might be good for you?

In this programme Ruth Alexander finds out about the studies the guidance has been based on, and the statistical risk of dying from alcohol-related disease.

Dr Tim Stockwell, Scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, is the author of a meta-analysis of 107 studies that look at the links between ill health and alcohol. Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter is Emeritus Professor of Statistics at the University of Cambridge in the UK, he explains how we can make sense of risk as individuals.

And Anna Tait in the UK, Amelie Hauenstein in Germany, David Matayabas in the US and Bill Quinn in Australia talk about how much alcohol they drink, and what moderation looks like to them.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(image: four hands raising pints of beer in a ‘cheers’ gesture. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)