“There’s no safe amount of alcohol,” CNN reported. This year the largest ever study on the health risks of alcohol was released, attracting mass media attention and igniting a science journalism furor over its interpretation.
In the study, researchers found a significant increased in risk of death for individuals who consume even one drink a day. That is statistically significant, which misleadingly has little to do with what most people think of as “significant.” Statisticians quickly went after the media’s interpretation of the study; even though the increased risk of death was statistically significant, it represented only a tiny increase in personal risk. Although, risks do spike rapidly for binge drinkers.