Posted on 01/20/2022 3:39:08 PM PST by nickcarraway
Any level of drinking can lead to loss of healthy life, the World Heart Federation has said, as it sought to dispel the idea that a daily glass of wine may be good for you.
In a new policy briefing, the organisation said it wanted to “challenge the widespread notion” that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can decrease the risk of heart disease and called for urgent action to tackle the global rise in deaths caused by drinking.
Monika Arora, member of WHF’s advocacy committee and co-author of the briefing, said: “The portrayal of alcohol as necessary for a vibrant social life has diverted attention from the harms of alcohol use, as have the frequent and widely publicised claims that moderate drinking, such as a glass of red wine a day, can offer protection against cardiovascular disease.
“These claims are at best misinformed and at worst an attempt by the alcohol industry to mislead the public about the danger of their product.” It comes after the Royal College of Psychiatrists warned earlier this week that millions of Britons are causing themselves “silent harm” through hazardous drinking.
Professor Julia Sinclair, chair of the addictions faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the switch to drinking at home was partly to blame for the rise, with drinking sessions sometimes lasting several hours longer than they would in a pub.
According to the new briefing from the World Heart Federation, more than 2.4 million people died worldwide because of alcohol in 2019.
This is equivalent to 4.3% of all deaths globally and 12.6% of deaths in men aged 15 to 49, it said.
The federation, which is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working with the World Health Organisation (WHO), said alcohol is a “psychoactive and harmful substance that can cause significant damage to the human body”.
It said that drinking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, digestive diseases and injury.
“The evidence is clear: any level of alcohol consumption can lead to loss of healthy life,” it said.
“Studies have shown that even small amounts of alcohol can increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, including coronary disease, stroke, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease), atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat), and aneurysm.
“Studies that claim otherwise are based on purely observational research, which fails to account for other factors, such as pre-existing conditions and a history of alcoholism in those considered to be ‘abstinent’.
“To date, no reliable correlation has been found between moderate alcohol consumption and a lower risk of heart disease.” Matt Lambert, chief executive of the Portman Group, which receives funding from the drinks industry and has firms signed up to its code of practice, said: “It is important not to exaggerate the risk of moderate drinking and unduly alarm responsible consumers who are more than able to make informed decisions and enjoy alcohol sensibly if they chose to do so.
“Responsible drinking forms part of a balanced lifestyle for the moderate majority, the four in five adults drinking within the chief medical officer’s 14 unit a week low-risk guidelines or not drinking at all.
“We continue to review the studies with interest, and there is a body of evidence suggesting a low level of risk for low-to-moderate drinkers.
“However, we recognise that everyone’s circumstances are different and for some people there is no safe level of drinking, we therefore encourage consumers to take a sensible and measured approach to risk.
“Through the Portman Group Code of Practice we have ensured that for over 25 years alcohol producers do not make health claims in its their marketing and packaging.”
My cardio asked me if I smoked. I said- no. He asked if I drank. I said yes. Socially , he asked? No I said. He looked at me. I explained that before bed, I take 2 vitamin supplements and drink it with 3 ounces of red wine- in one of those empty plastic applesauce cups. So— I am drinking, but am alone, so it isn’t social.
I DON’T CARE WHAT THEY SAY. *drinks*
'It's the greatest medicine': Jim Belushi, 67, is now a cannabis farmer and claims his brother John would still be alive if he'd been a 'pothead'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10420421/Jim-Belushi-cannabis-farmer-claims-brother-alive-hed-pothead.html
I’m kind of fortunate. I never was much of a drinker to begin with, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve pretty much lost all desire to drink.
They do…i was just commenting this evening on the huge surge in “medical” marijuana shops in my town.
Marijuana makes you stupid and low-energy, which is exactly how the government wants you.
See the Ray Bradbury story, “The First Night of Lent”.
Bradbury doesn’t say what his Dublin cabbie was drinking, but he strongly encourages him to resume imbibing after a ride with him after he gives it up for Lent, lol.
I read that bars in NYC (which of course still haven’t recovered from the shutdowns, masks, distancing, etc.) are really suffering with this “dry January” stuff. People come in and do a little virtue-signaling by looking horrified at the idea of a drink and order just food….which of course is not where bars make their money.
Certainly it’s good not to be such a steady drinker that you can’t go without alcohol any length of time, but I hate this “dry January” stuff because in my mind, it’s a state-declared Lent, with the state’s favorite ploy, “it’s all for your health.” So this gives the health-virtue crowd a virtue-signaling moment, and continues the state’s relentless push to control every aspect of our private lives.
They’re just getting us ready for when we peons are no longer allowed to have alcoholic beverages.
I shall resort to the ultimate insult: Bull Obama.
I love that wine glass. Sent the picture to my sister in HI and she immediately wanted to share....LOL
I shall resort to the ultimate insult: Bull Obama.
Same folks who want you to get the death shots
Since Christmas I have noticed that after two cups of coffee with Irish Cream I have a hard time getting motivated to start the day.
Exactly....You need at least 2!
Whatever. Life is too short to be worrying about what “experts” say about anything. I’ll eat and drink what I want to.
And when the good Lord calls me up yonder, I’ll be ready.
My doctor told me years that any possible benefits from a glass of wine could be had with a bunch of grapes.
Jesus turned water into wine……
Jesus drank wine at the last supper…..
Therefore Jesus wants me to drink wine!
I have been scouring the Bible for a reference to a good bourbon to continue my religious regimen….😂
Mandrake, have you never wondered why I drink only distilled water, or rain water, and only pure grain alcohol?
Fear and free-floating anxiety are killers too.
😂😂
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