We’ve been told for years, that drinking alcohol in moderation is safe and even beneficial to our health.

But a new large-scale study provides evidence that the healthiest amount of alcohol consumption may be none at all.

Researchers analyzed data from 10,400 participants in Hong Kong and more than 31,000 participants in the U.S.

They found men and women who were life-time abstainers of alcohol reported the highest level of mental well-being at the start of the study. And women who drank moderately saw an improvement in their mental well-being after they quit drinking.

Study co-author Michael Ni says the study provides more evidence suggesting caution in recommending moderate drinking as part of a healthy diet. He goes on to say that quitting drinking even at moderate levels was shown to be linked to a favourable change in mental well-being.

You can read about the study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.