Dr Mehta co-authored a paper on the benefits of periods of abstinence such as Dry January. He says: “Our work has shown that a month off alcohol, in healthy individuals who usually drink at moderate to high levels, does lead to tangible health benefits. Our study saw a weight loss of around 2kg, a decrease in blood pressure of around 5 per cent, and improvement in diabetes risk of almost 30 per cent. We also noted large decreases in blood growth factors that are linked to certain cancers. However, we don’t know how long these benefits last, or whether they translate to long-term improvements in health.”