Posted on 11/04/2018 4:44:17 AM PST by vannrox
According to the study of more than 400,000 American adults, light drinkers — regardless of age — are 20 percent more likely to suffer a premature death.
“It used to seem like having one or two drinks per day was no big deal, and there even have been some studies suggesting it can improve health,” notes first author Dr. Sarah M. Hartz, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the university, in a release. “But now we know that even the lightest daily drinkers have an increased mortality risk.”
Hartz says that while earlier research has claimed moderate drinking can reduce one’s risk of heart disease, the benefit is overshadowed by the other damaging effects of alcohol. She points to the elevated risk of developing cancer from daily drinking, which of course, can shorten a person’s lifespan.
“With regard to cancer risk, any drinking at all was detrimental,” she cautions.
Hartz and her team analyzed data from a study of 340,668 people ages 18-85 who took part in a federal study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and another 93,653 adults between ages 40 and 60 who were outpatients at Veterans Administration facilities. The researchers calculated that those who consumed one to two drinks at least four times a week were 20 percent more likely to fall victim to an early death than people who consumed a drink or two three times a week or less. That might not sound like a big concern, but it’s particularly dangerous for those dealing with other health issues.
“A 20 percent increase in risk of death is a much bigger deal in older people who already are at higher risk,” says Hartz. “Relatively few people die in their 20s, so a 20 percent increase in mortality is small but still significant. As people age, their risk of death from any cause also increases, so a 20 percent risk increase at age 75 translates into many more deaths than it does at age 25.”
Simply put, unless your physician tells you otherwise, Hartz says it’s unwise for anyone to justify a trip to the wine store with health benefits.
“Overall, I do think people should no longer consider a glass of wine a day to somehow be healthy,” she concludes.
The full study is published online Oct. 3 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
I'm one who had to stop drinking 30+ years ago as an act of self defense...happier than the booze ever made me feel....
You may “die sooner’ but you’ll have a better time in life. What’s the point of living longer if not to enjoy some aspects of it? Are these scientists grinches? Avoid everything that is enjoyable, fun and exciting so you might extend your incredibly boring life longer. What’s the point?
So,beer is okay then?
Study find that people who wake up in a puddle of their own urine tend to be progressive democrats.
Been drinking a glass of Burgundy each day since I was 40 (maybe earlier). I hit 85 recently. Checkup at the doc and the aide says, wonderingly, “Your blood pressure is 125/57. You have the heart of a 20-year-old.” Too bad the rest of me isn’t. :-)
The problem with such studies is that many who run them are not very good with statistics.
What is the sample population like? What is the time frame?
What is the reason for the result?
And finally, correlation is not causation. Dolly Parton has a wonder charity that gives books to kids, because of a study that kids that have books in the house do better than kids who don’t. What the study DIDN’T ask is “What type of people buy their kids a lot of books, and what is their parenting style compared to those who don’t?”
Even that could be flawed. I was smuggling Tom Clancy novels into my school backpack at age 8, and it wasn’t because my parents wanted me to..
Add eggs to your list.
They tell me, “Alcohol is a slow death.”
I tell them, “That’s okay, I can wait.”
When I stopped smoking cigs, alcohol no longer held a draw for me. Nowadays I’m more interested in how many miles I can count during a week of hiking.
I remember that stupid pronouncement, now.
I remember that stupid pronouncement, now.
Champipple.
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