What is the opposite of a health benefit?
I am looking to write an online article about the negative effects of eating/drinking a certain item. There are articles that have a title such as "Top Health Benefits of _____". What could be used to describe the exact opposite?
There is a similarly titled question, "Antonym of benefit". However, the content of the question is different and its answer is not helpful for my situation.
Solution 1:
Top Health Risks is the phrase that you're looking for!
Risk (noun)
a situation involving exposure to danger.
[ODO]
For reference, here's an Ngram plot on the usage of "Health Risks of Alcohol" from 1975 to 2008.
Solution 2:
You could consider using health hazard which means:
A danger to health resulting from exposure to environmental pollutants, such as asbestos or ionizing radiation, or to a life-style choice, such as cigarette smoking or chemical abuse.
[Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 9th edition]
Solution 3:
How about detriment?
loss, damage, disadvantage, or injury.
a cause of loss or damage.
"Top Health Detriments of ________"
Solution 4:
I don't believe that there is a single word that fits exactly in that sentence structure "Health _____ of", but normally in medical circles things are either beneficial or harmful, so one would probably go for something like
"10 harmful effects of __________"
or
"10 ways ___________ can harm you"
or perhaps
"10 detrimental side-effects of__________"
although in today's world of over-senasionalizing things, for the tabloid-style title you'd go:
"10 ways ____________ can kill you!"
or
"10 ways ____________ will ruin your health!"
Solution 5:
Consider,
negative health effects
Google Books
damaging effects
Google Books
deleterious (health) effects
deleterious
Having a harmful effect; injurious: the deleterious effects of smoking. American Heritage Dictionary
Harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way deleterious effects; deleterious to health M-W
Injurious to health Ramdom House
Ngram