Heavy alcohol consumption is known to increase the risk for a wide range of diseases, leading to significant financial and societal costs. However, research also tends to find that moderate consumption is actually protective against certain health outcomes when compared to abstinence. Despite increased work in recent years, it is still unclear whether this association is a true causal relationship or simply a by-product of methodological limitations. Mendelian Randomisation – a method that studies genetic tendencies to drink in place of drinking itself – allows for determining whether a causal relationship exists, and thanks to more recent developments, what shape this relationship takes. This study aims to apply this method to the examination of various alcohol-long-term health relationships using the rich genetic and health data offered by the UK biobank. We will also conduct more conventional analyses of these relationships so that results can be compared. It is estimated that this work will take 36 months to complete. Given that evidence about alcohol’s protective effects is often incorporated into national safe drinking guidelines and public health policy, determining whether these effects are truly causal stands to have a significant impact.
